HORACE  W.  CARPENTER 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/fortyyearsinburmOOmarkrich 


Forty   Years  in  Burma 


•  •     • 

>  •     •       •  •  < 


^:^Oy^  OQ^COO^^Tn, 


Forty  Years  in  Burma 

©^  Dr\  Marks,  with  a  Foreword  by  the 
Jlrchbishop  of  Canterbury .  Edited,  with  an  Introduc- 
tion and  a  Selection  of  the  Authors  Letters  and 
Reports,  by  the  Rev.  W,  C.  B.  Purser,  M.A.. 
Examining  Chaplain  to  the  bishop  of  Rangoon 


With  Seventeen  Jllustratiofis, 

including  a  Frontisptece  in  photogravure, 

and  a  Map. 


NEW   YORK: 

E,   P,   BUTTON  AND   COMPANY 

681,   FIFTH   AVENUE 


J^^/,w 


Frinhd  in  Greit  Eritmn 


FOREWORD 


Lambeth  Palace,  S.E. 

It  must  be  right  that  some  Biography  of  Dr.  Marks  should 
be  pubUshed.  A  man  of  remarkable  personal  powers,  he 
had  opportunities  of  an  extraordinary  sort,  and  he  used 
them  extraordinarily  well.  I  imagine  that  the  record  of 
St.  John's  College,  Rangoon,  is  in  some  respects  unique 
among  educational  annals  in  the  East,  and  the  romantic 
elements  in  its  story  are  as  noteworthy  as  its  consistent 
chronicle  of  steady  work.  The  dominating  personahty  of 
Dr.  Marks  deserves,  and  has  here,  I  hope,  secured,  appro- 
priate record.  The  missionary  annals  of  our  time  would 
be  incomplete  without  such  a  narrative  in  permanent 
form. 

Randall  Cantuar. 
Easter,  1917. 


r>272(;a 


EDITORIAL 

The  text  of  Dr.  Marks'  memoirs  came  to  me  in  a  somewhat 
confused  state.  It  consisted  of  three  documents.  The 
first  was  made  up  of  some  articles  published  in  one  of  the 
magazines  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  the  year  1900.  Dr.  Marks  concluded  those 
articles  by  stating  that  he  intended  in  the  near  future 
to  publish  in  book  form  the  story  of  his  hfe.  It  is  a  great 
pity  that  he  allowed  this  intention  to  be  frustrated  by 
his  constant  activity  in  deputation  work  on  behalf  of  the 
Society.  His  health  did  not  improve  with  advancing 
years,  and  it  soon  became  obvious  that  in  spite  of  the 
magnificent  memory  which  he  retained  to  the  last,  he  no 
longer  had  physical  strength  sufficient  to  fulfil  his  original 
purpose. 

In  this  difficulty  his  devoted  sister  came  to  the  rescue 
with  the  suggestion  that  she  should  write  out  at  his 
dictation  the  story  which  he  had  to  tell,  so  as  to  save  him 
the  fatigue  of  sitting  up  to  a  table.  Increasing  cardiac 
trouble  had  already  caused  his  medical  adviser  to  prohibit 
Dr.  Marks  from  sitting  at,  or  bending  over,  a  writing  table 
for  any  protracted  period.  ,  In  this  way  the  second  docu- 
ment was  produced.  It  was  intended,  as  far  as  I  have 
been  able  to  ascertain,  to  supplement  at  different  points 
the  original  story  which  had  already  been  published,  so 
as  to  fill  in  details  which  had  been  previously  omitted. 

It  has  been  very  difficult  to  find  out  exactly  the  points 
at  which  this  supplementary  matter  was  intended  to  be 
fitted  in,  and  I  have  only  been  able  to  do  so  by  diligent 


viii  EDITORIAL 

reference   to   the   diaries   and   reports   which   have   been 
placed  at  my  disposal. 

The  third  document  consisted  of  the  recollections  of 
Mr.  David  Marks,  the  only  surviving  brother,  of  his 
numerous  and  lengthy  conversations  with  Dr.  Marks. 
This  document  I  have  found  of  considerable  assistance, 
especially  with  regard  to  Dr.  Marks'  reminiscences  of 
King  Thibaw  and  Queen  Supayalat. 

A  narrative  prepared  in  this  manner  cannot  but  betray 
traces  of  its  composite  character,  especially  as  I  have 
considered  it  my  duty  as  editor  to  preserve  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  narrative  at  the  expense  of  literary  finish. 
There  was  a  certain  amount  of  redundancy  in  the  narra- 
tives as  they  came  into  my  hands,  which  I  have  tried 
to  remedy ;  but  apart  from  that,  the  story  as  it  stands  is 
substantially  as  it  came  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Marks. 

I  have  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  the  staff  of 
the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  for  the  in- 
valuable assistance  which  they  have  given  me  in  my  work. 
Dr.  Marks'  official  reports  to  the  Society  have  all  been 
placed  at  my  disposal,  and  I  have  been  allowed  to  select 
from  among  the  large  number  of  photographs  in  the 
possession  of  the  Society  those  which  I  considered  of 
interest. 

W.  C.  B.  P. 

Seaford, 

Feb.  1917. 


PREFACE 

This  book  is  written  from  no  desire  for  mere  personal 
advertisement,  though  necessarily  it  contains  very  much 
of  my  own  personal  adventures  and  experiences  during 
my  long  residence  in  Burma. 

It  is  the  outcome  of  reiterated  demands  and  urgent 
requests  alike  from  personal  friends  and  from  those 
whom  it  has  been  my  duty  and  privilege  to  address  from 
the  platform  or  pulpit  during  my  visits  to  this  country, 
and  also,  latterly,  during  my  enforced  stay  at  home  on 
account  of  health,  which  prevented  me  returning  to  my 
residence  and  work  in  the  East. 

I  am  well  within  the  mark  in  saying  that  I  have  given 
more  than  a  thousand  such  sermons,  addresses  and  lectures, 
and  I  am  unable  to  recall  a  single  instance  in  which  such 
an  effort  has  not  been  received  with  deep  interest  and  at- 
tention by  my  audience,  whether  consisting  of  ordinary 
congregations,  of  University  and  college  assemblies,  of 
Public  or  Private  schools,  or  gatherings  of  children  of  all 
ages,  or  even  of  City  merchants. 

From  nearly  every  one  of  these  audiences  a  request  has 
come  to  me  that  I  should  embody  in  book  form  the  story 
in  which  my  hearers  have  been  so  interested. 

Newspaper  reports  more  or  less  accurate — generally 
the  latter — only  whetted  this  desire. 

I  have  long  felt  that  I  ought  to  comply  therewith,  and 
have  determined  so  to  do,  but  my  constant  absence  from 
home  on  deputation  has  afforded  me  very  Httle  leisure 


t  PREFACE 

for  such  a  task  ;  and,  moreover,  I  have  delayed  in  the 
earnest  hope  that  with  renewed  health  and  vigour,  I 
might  be  permitted  to  overcome  the  scruples  of  the  doctors 
and  obtain  their  permission  to  pay  a  farewell  visit  to  the 
country  that  I  love  so  well,  and  there  arrange  in  order 
the  materials  for  this  work.  Unhappily  the  decision  of 
those  to  whose  verdict  I  ought  to  bow  has  finally  shat- 
tered the  hope  of  my  ever  being  able  to  return  to  Burma, 
and  so  I  feel  that  now  or  never  must  be  my  motto  if  I 
would  write  my  story. 

This,  therefore,  is  the  raison  d'etre  of  my  book,  which 
I  now  send  forth  with  the  trust  and  belief  that  the  kind 
interest  and  indulgence  which  have  ever  been  given  to  my 
spoken  addresses,  will  be  extended  to  my  narrative  in  its 
present  form. 

I  do  not  undervalue,  nor  seek  to  enter  into  competition 
with  the  many  able  writers — among  whom  I  reckon  some 
of  my  most  valued  personal  friends — whose  works  on 
Burma,  from  various  points  of  view,  are  before  the  public. 
Necessarily,  for  the  completion  of  this  book,  I  must 
traverse  much  of  the  ground  already  covered  by  them, 
but  I  trust  that  there  will  be  no  unnecessary  overlapping. 

After  all,  the  story  which  I  have  to  tell  is  a  personal 
one,  and  without  undue  egotism,  I  have  constantly  felt, 
and  as  constantly  been  assured  by  others,  that  it  is  the 
personal  element  which  gives  the  greatest  interest  to 
such  a  narrative  as  mine,  whether  spoken  or  written.  It 
is  a  story,  not  of  what  I  have  read  or  heard  of,  but  of 
personal  experience :  of  what  I  myself  have  done  or  tried 
to  do,  or  in  which  I  have  participated. 

J.  E.  M. 


CONTENTS 

PAGB 

Foreword  .         ♦ v 

Editorial vii 

Preface      .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .       ix 

CHAP. 

Introduction 

I. — The  Outward  Journey         .        .        .39 

11. — First  Impressions  of  Burma  .         .      46 

III. — Beginning  Work  in  Maulmein      .         .      52 

IV. — School  Work  in  Maulmein  ...      60 

V. — Ordination  at  Calcutta        •         •         .      75 

VI. — Beginning  Work  in  Rangoon        .         .      80 

VII. — First  Furlough  in  England         .        .      89 

VIII. — Return  to  Rangoon 

IX. — School  Routine    . 

X. — The  Diocesan  Orphanage 

XI. — MiNDON  Min  .         .         . 

XII. — The  Call  to  Mandalay 

XIII. — First  Interviews  with  King  Mindon    .     163 

XIV. — Visit  to  Sir  John  Lawrence         .        .     182 

XV. — Work  in  Mandalay       ....     189 

XVI. — Consecration  of  Mandalay  Church      .     199 

XVII. — The  First  Bishop  of  Rangoon      ,        .211 

XVIIL— Thibaw  . 

XIX. — Last  Days  in  Maulmein 

XX. — Last  Visit  to  Burma     . 

Appendix 

Index    .... 


102 
122 
136 

144 

153 


218 
233 
239 
251 
301 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Rev.  Dr.  Marks  (photogravure)  .         .         Frontispiece 

Pupils  and  Staff  of  St.  John's  College,  Rangoon 

Facing  p.  26 
St.  John's  College  with  the  Cadet  Corps  „  36 

Maulmein ,,      .      52 

Kutho  Daw „  68 

Bishop  Strachan,  Dr.  Marks  and  Clergy  of  Rangoon 
Diocese     ......        Facing  p.  So 

Mandalay.     The  Palace  .         .         .  ,,  96 

Rangoon.     Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  the  "  Town 
Church".         .         .         .         .         .       Facing  p.  108 

Dr.  Marks,  the  Rev.  Tsan  Baw  and  the  Burmese  Con- 
gregation of  St.  John's  College,  Rangoon       Facing  p.  124 
Mandalay.     The  Moat   ....  ,,  144 

Mandalay.     The  State  Barge  .         .  ,,  156 

King  Thibaw's  Throne  .         .         .  „  166 

Dr.  Marks  and  Pupils  before  King  Mind6n  ,,  173 

Mandalay.     King  Thibaw's  Golden  Kyaung        ,,  218 

Mandalay  Palace  as  Garrison  Chapel        .  „  232 

The  "  Marks'  Memorial  "  Committee        .  ,,  238 

Sawbwa  Saw  Khd,  Ko  Shwe  Hman  and  Dr.  Marks     . 

~  Facing  p.  246 

MAP 
Burma        ,         ,         ,         *     .   •         •  Facing  p.  1 


»     »  ,' 


BURMA. 


Mission  Stdhons  supported  by  the  SPG.art  underhntd.  other  Anglicdn  Stations..., 
By  hind  permission  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts. 


IFacing  p.  i. 


Forty  Years  in  Burma 


INTRODUCTION 

JOHN  EBENEZER  MARKS  was  born  in 
London  on  the  4th  of  June,  1832.  He 
was  of  Jewish  extraction,  and  the  re- 
markable vitaHty  which,  despite  persistent 
ill-health,  exacting  work  and  a  trying  climate, 
enabled  him  to  live  a  life  of  uninterrupted 
activity  until  the  age  of  eighty-three,  was 
doubtless  an  heritage  from  the  hardy  stock 
to  which  he  belonged. 

His  early  education  was  received  at  a  school 
in  the  East  End  of  London  which  has  long  since 
disappeared.  He  remained  as  an  unpaid  pupil 
teacher  at  the  school  in  which  he  was  educated 
until  he  received  appointments  successively 
at  Wolverhampton,  Birmingham  and  Evesham. 

From  Evesham  he  was  invited  by  the 
Rev.  T.  O,  Goodchild  to  become  master  of  the 


^ 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

Hackney  Free  and  Parochial  Schools  in  Mare 
Street.  His  pupils  were  notorious  for  their 
roughness,  and  were  locally  known  as  the 
Hackney  Bulldogs.  He  had  desperate  struggles 
with  them,  but  his  unique  sympathy  with  boys, 
coupled  with  his  genius  for  teaching,  won  the 
day,  and  the  boys  soon  became  attached  to 
him. 

After  spending  all  the  day  in  school,  he  used 
to  devote  his  evenings  to  ragged-school  work 
and  evening  classes  for  lads.  In  such  work  as 
this  he  gave  material  assistance  to  the  parish 
of  St.  George's  in  the  East,  and  also  to  Father 
Lowder. 

He  went  out  to  Burma  in  1859  ^^  a  layman 
for  educational  work  in  connection  with  the 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  at 
the  school  which  it  had  opened  at  Maulmein. 

After  working  with  great  success  for  three 
years  as  a  layman,  he  was  accepted  as  a  can- 
didate for  Ordination  by  Bishop  Cotton  of 
Calcutta,  and  was  invited  to  undergo  a  special 
course  of  preparation  at  Bishop's  College, 
Calcutta.  He  was  there  for  a  few  months  in 
1863,  and  was  ordained  Deacon  on  All  Saints* 
Day    in    Calcutta    Cathedral,    After    a    short 


INTRODUCTION 

furlough  in  England,  necessitated  by  an  attack 
of  abscess  on  the  Hver,  he  was  ordained  Priest 
in  Calcutta  in  1866. 

The  story  of  his  educational  work  in  Maul- 
mein,  Mandalay  and  Rangoon  is  told  at  length 
in  his  memoirs,  and  it  would  be  superfluous  to 
tell  it  again  here.  The  main  facts  are  enu- 
merated in  the  following  resolution  which  was 
adopted  by  the  S.  P.  G.  on  his  death  : 

''It  is  with  no  ordinary  feelings  that  the 
Society,  assembled  in  its  Monthly  meeting  in 
the  Society's  House  on  Friday,  October  15th, 
1915,  places  on  the  list  of  those  who  have 
departed  this  life  the  name  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
J.  E.  Marks,  assured  that  posterity  will  accord 
him  a  place  among  the  great  educational  mis- 
sionaries of  this  age.  There  are  few  also  who 
have  led  a  life  so  full  of  romance,  and  in  situa- 
tions which  brought  him  into  touch  with  some 
of  the  great  political  movements  within  the 
Empire.  .  .  . 

"  Burma  was  the  scene  of  his  missionary 
labours,  and  he  leaves  a  name  in  that  land 
educationally,  as  great  as  that  of  Judson  on 
the  evangelistic  side.  In  the  region  of  romance 
there  are   few  missionary  episodes  more  fas- 

3  I* 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

cinating  than  the  history  of  Dr.  Marks*  associa- 
tion with  Mindon  Min  and  King  Thibaw.  The 
former,  though  a  non-Christian,  built  a  church 
and  a  school  and  a  residence  for  Dr.  Marks, 
and  sent  the  royal  Princes  to  the  school. 

'*  But  the  monumental  work  of  Dr.  Marks 
was  the  creation  and  development  of  St.  John's 
College,  Rangoon,  which,  under  his  auspices, 
became  the  leading  educational  establishment 
in  Burma.  Not  less  than  15,000  pupils  passed 
through  his  hands,  composed  of  almost  every 
nationality  in  the  East.  .  .  . 

*'  He  was  presented  with  the  Lambeth 
Degree  of  D.D.  in  1879  t>y  Archbishop  Tait, 
in  recognition  of  his  eminent  services  to  the 
Church,  and  retired  in  1900,  but  not  to  idle- 
ness. Dr.  Marks  has  been  one  of  the  most 
indefatigable  of  helpers  for  the  Society's  cause, 
and  his  presence  had  become  known  from  one 
end  of  the  Kingdom  to  the  other.  The  Society 
never  had  a  more  devoted  supporter,  and  is 
proud  of  having  had  the  name  of  this  remark- 
able man  and  missionary  on  its  lists." 

The  last  fifteen  years  of  his  life  were  spent 
in  constant  deputation  work  on  behalf  of  the 
Society,  and  during  that  period  he  must  have 

4 


INTRODUCTION 

preached  in  almost  every  Cathedral  and  im- 
portant parish  church  in  England.  Failing 
health,  aggravated  by  a  motor  accident,  inter- 
fered with,  but  did  not  put  a  stop  to,  his 
activities.  He  was  preaching  constantly  to 
within  a  few  days  of  his  death,  and  was  actually 
engaged  to  preach  in  Chelmsford  Cathedral  on 
the  Sunday  after  he  passed  away. 

The  story  which  Dr.  Marks  tells  in  the  fol- 
lowing pages  needs  supplementing  in  some 
respects  if  the  character  of  the  writer  is  to  be 
properly  understood.  There  were  so  many 
interesting  events  in  Marks'  Ufe,  that  the 
reader  is  in  danger  of  forgetting  that  the  most 
interesting  thing  in  the  whole  story  is  the 
writer  himself.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to 
say  that  for  many  years  the  personality  of 
Dr.  Marks  was  quite  an  important  factor  in 
Burmese  life. 

It  was  not  so  much  his  educational  or  mis- 
sionary activity  that  secured  him  this  promi- 
nence. It  was  the  influence  of  his  own 
personahty.  He  had  a  perfect  genius  for 
forming  and  keeping  friendships.  Humble 
Eurasian  orphans,  Burmese  and  Indian  school- 
boys, and  high  Government  officials  were  all 

5 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

attracted  to  him  by  his  boundless  affection, 
his  open-handed  generosity  and  his  unstinted 
hospitahty.  His  geniahty  broke  down  all  the 
barriers  of  race,  religion  and  social  position, 
and  won  for  him  friends  wherever  he  went. 

Even  his  faults  served  to  endear  him  to 
those  with  whom  he  had  to  deal.  His  impul- 
sive nature  compelled  him  to  champion  the 
cause  of  anyone  who  appealed  to  him  for 
assistance,  and  in  such  cases  he  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  tackle  the  highest  in  the  land.  He  was 
often  at  fault  in  the  causes  which  he  cham- 
pioned, but  the  engaging  frankness  with  which 
he  acknowledged  it  often  ended  in  drawing 
still  more  closely  to  himself  the  person  whom 
he  had  attacked. 

His  account-keeping  was  the  despair  of  his 
friends.  He  would  give  away  his  last  rupee, 
and  then  wonder  where  on  earth  all  his  money 
had  gone  to.  His  generosity  often  got  him  into 
trouble  with  the  authorities  in  charge  of  the 
finances  of  the  Mission,  and  it  was  at  last 
decided,  on  his  own  suggestion,  to  make  one 
of  his  colleagues  responsible  for  the  keeping 
of  the  school  accounts.  But  it  was  just  this 
generosity  and  complete  indifference  to  finan- 


INTRODUCTION 

cial     matters    which    endeared     him    to    his 
numerous  proteges. 

During  his  residence  at  Mandalay,  and  after- 
wards at  St.  John's  College,  Rangoon,  Marks 
kept  open  house.  The  hospitality  of  St. 
John's  College  was  for  many  years  a  feature 
in  the  social  life  of  Rangoon.  From  the  Chief 
Commissioner  downwards,  civil  and  military 
officials,  wealthy  merchants,  and  all  the 
leading  lights  of  Rangoon  society  constantly 
accepted  the  hospitality  which  Marks  so 
unstintingly  offered. 

It  was  not  so  much  the  good  fare  that  was 
provided  as  the  extraordinary  genius  for  enter- 
tainment possessed  by  the  host,  which  at- 
tracted his  many  visitors.  Marks  was  a  first- 
rate  raconteur.  His  supply  of  anecdotes  was 
limitless,  and  he  narrated  them  with  a  quiet 
restraint  which  added  immensely  to  their 
effect.  Some  of  his  stories  were  a  little  in- 
clined to  be  Rabelaisian,  and  very  much 
shocked  those  who  expected  missionaries  to 
indulge  in  nothing  but  edifying  conversation. 
But  his  missionary  zeal  was  unquestioned 
even  by  those  who  would  have  liked  to  see  it 
accompanied  with  a   more    puritanical  spirit. 

7 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

His  hospitality  and  geniality  did  no  harm  to 
his  missionary  work  ;  rather,  they  attracted  the 
assistance  of  many  who  otherwise  would  not 
have  been  disposed  to  sympathize  with  such 
objects. 

No  account  of  Marks*  Hfe  would  be  complete 
which  failed  to  give  some  information  about 
his  ability  in  this  direction.  Unfortunately  the 
present  writer  is  ill-equipped  for  the  purpose, 
as  he  only  met  Dr.  Marks  on  three  several 
occasions.  One  such  story  must  suffice,  and 
that,  alas  !  will  only  be  appreciated  by  those 
famihar  with  the  Burmese  language. 

When  I  visited  Dr.  Marks  on  my  first  fur- 
lough, I  was  rather  proud  of  my  knowledge  of 
Burmese,  and  tried,  I  suppose,  to  make  an 
impression  upon  him.  By  way  of  testing  me 
he  suddenly  asked  :  "  What  does  Ne  ne  ma 
sa  hnin  mean  ?  "  '*  It  means,  '  Don't  eat  a 
little,'  ''  I  replied.  ''  No,  it  does  not,''  said 
the  Doctor.  ''  It  means,  '  Eat  a  good  lot.' 
I  always  used  that  expression  when  I  went 
round  the  dining-room  to  inspect  the  boys  at 
their  meals." 

My  own  translation  was  literal  enough,  but 

Burmese  is  pre-eminently  a  language  of  double 

8 


INTRODUCTION 

entendre,  and  the  interpretation  put  upon  the 
words  by  the  Doctor  would  certainly  be  the 
one  which  would  be  understood  by  the  boys. 
At  the  same  time,  there  would  be  sufficient 
trace  of  the  opposite  meaning  for  the  boys  to 
appreciate  the  joke. 

It  would  be  a  great  pity  if  the  numerous 
stories  which  Dr.  Marks  used  to  tell  in  Burma 
were  permanently  lost.  Perhaps  one  of  his 
many  friends  will  some  day  give  us  an  account 
of  his  table-talk. 

A  word  must  be  said  here  about  Dr.  Marks' 
relations  with  the  high  officers  of  the  Govern- 
ment. From  the  time  of  Sir  Arthur  Phayre, 
the  first  Chief  Commissioner  of  British  Burma, 
until  he  finally  left  Rangoon,  Marks  was  on 
terms  of  intimacy  with  the  successive  rulers 
of  the  Province.  The  first  efforts  of  the 
Government  to  establish  English  schools  had 
proved  miserable  failures  for  lack  of  the  right 
kind  of  teachers.  The  High  School  in  Ran- 
goon had  to  be  shut  up  for  a  time.  Marks 
tells  in  his  diary  of  a  visit  to  the  Government 
school  at  Prome.  The  pupils  were  all  there, 
but  there  was  no  teacher,  so  he  set  about 
giving  the  boys  their  lesson  himself. 

9 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

Marks'  astonishing  success  with  the  schools 
which  he  estabhshed  attracted  all  the  more 
attention  because  of  the  comparative  failure 
of  the  Government  in  the  same  direction  ;  and 
though  the  educational  authorities  were  natur- 
ally a  httle  jealous,  the  other  officials  con- 
stantly turned  to  Marks  for  advice  on  educa- 
tional affairs,  and  showed  their  appreciation 
of  his  success  by  lavish  grants  in  aid  for  his 
work. 

Of  all  the  successive  Heads  of  the  Province, 
Sir  Charles  Bernard  seems  to  have  been  the 
one  who  was  most  intimate  with  Marks  ;  and 
the  little  glimpses  into  the  character  of  this 
magnificent  administrator  which  the  memoir 
gives  us  will  serve  to  heighten  the  admiration 
in  which  he  is  already  held  by  those  who 
know  Burma. 

His  successor.  Sir  Charles  Crosthwaite,  speaks 
of  the  heroic  energy  and  devotion  displayed 
by  Sir  Charles  Bernard.  After  the  annexa- 
tion of  Upper  Burma,  Sir  Charles  Bernard  had 
to  administer  the  newly-acquired  territory 
without  adequate  machinery,  in  addition  to 
bearing  his  previous  burden  of  governing  the 
Lower    Province.     The    Upper    Burma    Secre- 

10 


INTRODUCTION 

tariat  was  at  Mandalay.  **  When  Sir  Charles 
was  in  Rangoon,  he  relied  to  a  great  extent 
on  his  memory.  Letters  and  telegrams  re- 
ceived from  Mandalay  were  dealt  with  and 
returned  with  his  orders,  no  copies  for  refer- 
ence being  kept."  Anyone  familiar  with  the 
work  of  the  Administration  of  India  will  realize 
what  an  intolerable  burden  Sir  Charles  Bernard 
was  attempting  to  carry. 

His  relations  with  Dr.  Marks  confirm  the 
impression  left  on  our  minds  by  the  above 
quotation  of  the  tremendous  energy  of  Sir 
Charles  Bernard.  When  Marks  was  suffering 
from  one  of  his  periodic  attacks  of  ill-health, 
the  Chief  Commissioner  came  personally  to 
visit  him  in  his  little  room  at  St.  John's 
College,  and  carried  him  off  to  Government 
House.  During  the  last  Burmese  war  Sir 
Charles  copied  out  all  the  official  communiques, 
as  they  were  received  from  the  field  force, 
with  his  own  hand,  and  sent  them  to  Marks 
at  St.  John's  College. 

This  series  of  notes  terminated  with  the 
following  laconic  communication,  dated  Gov- 
ernment   House,    Rangoon,      December     2nd, 

1885  :    *'  There  seems  a  chance  of  your  soon 

II 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

seeing  your  long-lost  and  much-cherished  pupil. 
Ex-King  Thibaw  was  to-day  at  Minhla  on 
board  the  Thooria  on  his  way  down  the  river. 
I  can't  help  feehng  some  sympathy  for  the 
poor  creature  in  the  pUght  to  which  he  has 
come. — Yours  sincerely,  C.  Bernard.*' 

Was  it  desirable  that  a  missionary,  engaged 
in  the  propagation  of  his  own  particular  reli- 
gious opinions,  should  be  on  terms  of  such 
intimacy  with  Government  officials,  whose 
supreme  duty  it  was  to  administer  the  Province 
with  absolute  impartiahty,  and  without  show- 
ing any  favour  to  any  rehgious  body  ? 

The  question  is  one  of  perennial  interest  in 
India,  where  a  professedly  Christian  Govern- 
ment has  to  administer  the  affairs  of  people 
who  are  for  the  most  part  non-Christian. 
Shall  the  Government  show  preferential  treat- 
ment to  Christian  or  non-Christian  institu- 
tions ?  In  the  past,  the  Government  has 
answered  this  question  by  asking  another : 
Which  kind  of  institution  is  the  more  efficient  ? 
In  Marks'  time  it  was  the  Christian  institution 
which  was  demonstrably  the  more  efficient, 
and  which  received  preferential  treatment  from 
Sir    Charles    Bernard    and    other    wise    rulers. 

12 


INTRODUCTION 

But  in  the  future  this  is  by  no  means  likely 
to  be  the  case,  and  if  missionaries  should  be 
inclined  to  lament  the  change,  they  will  find 
much  in  Dr.  Marks'  memoirs  which  will  tend 
to  console  them. 

The  favours  shown  to  Marks  by  King 
Mindon  did  little  to  encourage  the  spread  of 
Christianity  in  Mandalay.  The  help  given  by 
Government  to  St.  John's  College,  while  it 
enabled  it  to  develop  into  an  important  edu- 
cational foundation,  did  not  succeed,  in  any 
appreciable  measure,  in  commending  Chris- 
tianity to  the  Burmese.  Dr.  Marks'  experi- 
ence tends  to  prove  that  Government  patronage 
can  do  no  more  now  than  it  did  in  the  time  of 
Constantine  to  inculcate  essential  Christianity. 

Marks  did  not  lose  his  power  of  making 
and  keeping  friends  after  his  retirement  from 
active  service  in  Burma.  Many  will  recall 
the  hospitality  dispensed  by  his  sister  at  their 
house  in  Croydon,  especially  the  gatherings 
which  took  place  annually  on  the  Doctor's 
birthday.  The  event  was  made  the  occasion 
for  the  reunion  of  friends  old  and  new,  and 
became — what  he  called  his  house — a  veritable 
*'  Burma  "  in  England. 

13 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

All  who  were  privileged  to  enjoy  the  hos- 
pitality of  the  Croydon  ''Burma"  will  recall 
the  way  in  which  the  Doctor  beamed  round 
on  his  guests  ;  how  untiring  he  was  in  relating 
stories  of  his  work  in  Burma  ;  how  naive  was 
the  pleasure  with  which  he  displayed  the 
magnificent  rubies  and  other  jewels  which  had 
been  presented  to  him  by  King  Mindon  and  his 
numerous  Burmese  pupils  and  friends.  He 
showed  himself  there  in  his  true  character  as 
the  most  genial,  the  most  entertaining,  the 
most  generous  of  egoists ! 

There  remain  three  aspects  of  Marks'  work 
which  must  be  dealt  with  at  some  little  length 
in  order  that  the  reader  may  understand  and 
appreciate  the  significance  of  the  story  which 
he  tells.  These  are  :  (i)  His  relations  with 
King  Mindon  ;  (2)  his  work  as  an  education- 
ahst ;   (3)  his  connection  with  pubhc  affairs. 

Dr.  Marks  and  King  Mindon* 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  most  romantic 
part  of  Dr.  Marks*  life  was  the  period  1868- 
1874,  which  was  spent  in  Mandalay,  and 
during    which    he     experienced,     in     varying 

*  cf.  The  whole  series  of  letters  in  the  Appendix, 
14 


INTRODUCTION 

degrees,  the  patronage  of  the  King  of  Burma. 
It  is  important  to  reaUze  that  Dr.  Marks  was 
not  the  only  Christian  Priest  to  enjoy  that 
fickle  monarch's  friendship.  As  he  himself 
points  out,  the  Roman  Catholig  Priest  and  the 
Armenian  Bishop  were  both  receiving  help 
from  the  King  before  his  own  arrival  in 
Mandalay. 

It  will  help  the  reader  to  understand  the 
true  position  of  things  if  I  quote  the  Roman 
Catholic  version  of  the  matter  as  set  down  by 
that  most  distinguished  Prelate,  Dr.  Bigandet, 
in  his  book,  "  A  History  of  the  Catholic  Bur- 
mese Mission." 

"  When  the  Bishop  was  in  Mandalay  in 
1859,  ^he  King  urgently  pressed  him  to  give 
him  the  Rev.  Father  Lecomte  for  the  educa- 
tion of  his  children  and  those  of  his  brother, 
the  heir-apparent.  The  request  was  granted, 
though  with  a  certain  amount  of  reluctance, 
based  upon  the  little  hope  entertained  of  the 
realization  of  the  plan. 

''  Father  Lecomte  came  to  Rangoon  to 
purchase  what  was  necessary  for  the  future 
establishment,  and  after  completing  his  pur- 
chases, he  returned  to  Mandalay  in  all  haste. 

15 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

But  the  mind  of  the  King  had  abready  under- 
gone some  changes,  owing  to  the  influence 
of  the  Hpongyis,  and  perhaps  of  the  women 
of  the  Palace.  He  would  send  to  the  school 
only  some  of  the  boys  who  were  loitering  day 
and  night  in  the  Palace.  As  the  missionary 
had  positive  orders  not  to  hold  a  school  except 
for  the  benefit  of  the  King's  sons,  he  declined 
His  Majesty's  offer. 

*'  In  1867  His  Majesty  placed  under  the 
charge  of  Father  Lecomte  twelve  or  fourteen 
boys  belonging  to  some  officers  of  the  Palace. 
The  boys  were  to  learn  the  English  language 
and  the  rudiments  of  those  sciences  which  are 
taught  in  European  schools.  The  excellent 
father  has  devoted  himself  to  that  task  with 
great  zeal  and  courage,  and  has  succeeded  as 
well  as  it  was  possible  with  boys  of  that 
country. 

"  Ever  since  his  accession  to  the  throne  in 
1852,  King  Mindon  has  shown  a  real  dis- 
position to  help  the  missionary  residing  in  the 
royal  city.  Father  Abbona  had  known  him 
well  before  his  accession  to  the  throne.  He 
was .  fond  of  conversations  on  rehgion,  and 
appeared  much  pleased  with  hearing  particulars 

16 


INTRODUCTION 

concerning  the  creed  of  the  foreigners — i.e., 
the  CathoHcs. 

"  But  this  fondness  was  with  him,  as  with 
all  Burmese,  the  offspring  of  mere  curiosity, 
and  that  even  of  a  very  superficial  kind. 
Before  His  Majesty's  mind  was  so  much  taken 
up  with  mercantile  speculations,  the  writer 
often  had  the  opportunity  of  discussing  reli- 
gious matters  with  him  ;  but  he  soon  found 
that  the  King  looked  upon  such  discussions  as 
matters  of  amusement,  or,  at  the  most,  in- 
tended them  merely  to  make  a  display  of  his 
knowledge  of  the  Buddhist  books,  and  par- 
ticularly of  the  metaphysical  parts  of  them. 
Never  has  he  exhibited,  even  for  a  moment, 
the  least  inclination  to  reflect  upon  the  capital 
truths  fundamental  to  every  rational  being, 
viz.,  God,  Creation,  Providence,  etc.  With 
a  childish  sneer  he  laughed  at  the  idea  of  a 
creating  power,  and  now  that  his  mind  is 
entirely  engrossed  with  the  gains  and  profits 
which  he  desires  to  make,  he  cares  no  longer 
for  religious  topics. 

"  It  may  be,  too,  that  he  has  found  it  im- 
possible to  maintain  his  footing  in  carrying 
on  a  fair  discussion,  and  that  he  has  given  it 

17  2 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

up  in  despair.  Certain  it  is  that,  notwith- 
standing what  has  been  asserted  to  the  con- 
trary by  persons  who  ought  to  know  better, 
the  King  has  never  had  the  remotest  idea  of 
studying  carefully  and  seriously  the  tenets  of 
Christianity,  and  that  he  has  always  been  a 
staunch  and  fervent  supporter  of  Buddhism. 
Is  he  led  to  this  line  of  conduct  by  political 
motives  ?  Does  he  hope  thereby  to  obtain  a 
greater  and  stronger  influence  over  his  people  ? 
I  beheve  that  his  acute  and  cunning  mind  can 
easily  reach  so  far  and  make  religion  a  means 
to  carry  out  his  plans. 

'*  Be  that  as  it  may,  it  is  certain  that  he  has 
been  liberal  in  assisting  the  Mission  of  Upper 
Burma.  When  the  Capital  was  transferred 
from  Amarapoora  to  the  present  site  of  Man- 
dalay,  the  King  gave  a  fine  piece  of  land,  both 
for  the  church  and  the  dwelHng  of  the  mis- 
sionary, and  bore  almost  all  the  expense  of 
building  the  house.  Whenever  the  Bishop 
has  visited  the  city,  the  King  has  hberally 
given  him  money  to  defray  his  travelling 
expenses. 

"  The  writer  is  delighted  herein  to  acknow- 
ledge the  many  tokens  of  kindness  which  the 

i8 


INTRODUCTION 

King  has  conferred  upon  the  Catholic  Mission. 
But,  at  the  same  time,  to  avoid  misunder- 
standing, it  ought  to  be  admitted  that  the 
hberahty  of  the  King  extends  also  to  the 
ministers  of  other  denominations,  though  to 
different  degrees.  He  has  lately  contributed 
most  liberally  in  setting  up  a  school  and  a  church 
for  an  English  minister  belonging  to  the  Pro- 
testant association  for  the  propagation  of  the 
Gospel.  It  is  true  that  the  said  minister  was 
backed  by  the  powerful  and  active  influence  of 
the  Chief  Commissioner  of  British  Burma,  as 
well  as  by  the  incessant  interference  of  the  English 
Resident  at  the  Court  of  Mandalay.  The  King, 
as  a  true  and  clever  politician,  never  does 
anything  without  expecting  some  return  in 
one  way  or  another.  By  favouring  the  English 
minister  he  expects  to  ingratiate  himself  with 
the  Enghsh  Governor,  and  hopes  to  find  in  his 
protege  an  individual  who,  in  case  of  diffi- 
culty arising,  will  be  able  to  lend  him  important 
support. 

'*  Moreover,  the  King,  in  the  kindness  which 
he  vouchsafes  to  foreign  ministers  of  reUgion, 
is  influenced  to  a  great  extent  by  an  ill- 
disguised    vanity    and    a    love    of   having   his 

19  2* 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

name  honourably  mentioned  et  late  et  circum, 
with  praises  and  acclamations  for  his  incom- 
parable generosity. 

"  After  the  death  of  the  Crown  Prince  and 
the  almost  total  destruction  of  his  family, 
followed  by  the  revolt  of  his  two  sons,  the 
King  grew  fearful  and  timorous.  He  thought 
his  position  fraught  with  perils  and  dangers. 
Thence  his  settled  idea  of  concentrating  all 
the  power  in  his  own  hands.  Contrary  to 
the  immemorial  custom  of  having  always  a 
member  of  the  royal  family  designated  heir- 
apparent,  with  a  suitable  amount  of  power, 
influence  and  retinue,  the  King  would  never 
allow  one  of  his  sons  to  be  designated  as  his 
successor.  He  feared  lest  he  might  plot  against 
him  and  hurl  him  from  his  throne. 

*'  The  head  of  the  Buddhist  rehgion,  called 
the  Thathana-baing,  happened  to  die  two  years 
after  the  heir-apparent,  but  the  King  would 
not  suffer  another  to  be  appointed  in  his 
stead. 

''  He  told  the  writer,  in  the  course  of  one 
conversation,  that  he  himself,  assisted  by  four 
dignitaries,  would  manage  all  the  affairs  of  a 
religious  character.     He  is  a  true  Czar  in  his 

20 


INTRODUCTION 

dominions.  His  greed  of  influence  and  power 
is  so  great,  that  he  wishes  to  be  the  only- 
trader  in  his  dominions,  and  the  only  man  who 
has  a  right  to  grasp  profits.  But  withal  he  is 
not  a  miser.  He  is  fond  of  money,  but  not 
for  the  sake  of  hoarding  it  as  his  predecessors 
did.  He  wished  to  have  it  to  spend  it  as  he 
liked. 

''  His  Majesty  did  all  in  his  power  to  induce 
the  writer  to  fix  his  residence  in  the  Capital. 
He  promised  him  a  monthly  allowance  for 
personal  support.  He  gave  him  a  very  fine 
and  extensive  piece  of  ground  whereupon  a 
spacious  brick  building  was  erected  for  his 
residence.  The  writer  expressed  to  the  King 
his  grateful  acknowledgments  for  this  act  of 
kindness.  He  took  possession  of  the  place, 
but  never  dwelt  therein.  He  devoted  the 
building  for  a  school,  and  up  to  this  day  it 
has  been  used  for  that  purpose.'' 

I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  quoting  Bishop 
Bigandet  at  such  length  because  his  book  is 
not  easily  accessible  to  the  general  public, 
because  of  the  high  authority  of  any  statement 
made  by  so  careful  and  profound  a  student  of 
Burmese    affairs,    and    because    of    the    light 

21 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

thrown  by  this  particular  statement  upon 
the  relationship  which  existed  between  Dr. 
Marks  and  Mindon  Min.  It  is  important  to 
remember  that  Dr.  Marks  was  not  the  first, 
much  less  the  only,  missionary  who  enjoyed 
the  Burmese  King^s  favour. 

The  whole  episode  appears  to  be  nothing 
less  than  a  deliberate,  if  somewhat  childish, 
plot  on  the  part  of  King  Mindon.  He  was  well 
aware  of  the  powers  of  the  priesthood.  He 
fully  comprehended  the  influence  wielded  by 
the  Buddhist  monastic  order  from  the  Thathana- 
haing  down  to  the  humblest  novice,  and,  as 
is  indicated  in  the  above  quotation,  he  had 
deliberately  exploited  that  influence  for  his 
own  purposes.  Could  he  not*  influence  the 
French  and  British  Governments  through  the 
French  Roman  Catholics  and  the  English 
missionaries  ? 

Dr.  Bigandet  was  in  a  far  more  diflicult 
position  than  Dr.  Marks,  for  what  the  King 
expected  of  him  was  to  connive  at,  perhaps 
even  aid  and  abet,  a  treasonable  agitation 
against  the  British  Government.  Those  were 
the  days  when  the  French  and  the  English 
were  rivals,   and  when  it  was  still  undecided 

22 


INTRODUCTION 

as  to  which  should  be  the  paramount  Power 
in  Upper  Burma.  It  is  greatly  to  the  credit 
both  of  the  wisdom  and  the  integrity  of  the 
good  Bishop  that  he  immediately  perceived 
this  and  refused  to  become  the  King's  agent. 

Dr.  Marks  well  knew  what  the  King  expected 
of  him,  and  set  himself  from  the  very  first 
against  allowing  the  King  to  exploit  his  in- 
fluence with  the  Government.  He  knew  that 
he  took  grave  risks  of  compromising  himself 
by  accepting  the  King's  bounty,  but  he  trusted 
to  his  own  transparent  bona  fides  to  save  him- 
self from  the  difficulties  that  might  arise.  In 
his  zeal  for  missionary  education  he  was  pre- 
pared to  face  the  risks  involved  in  being  the 
protege  of  a  Buddhist  monarch,  but  the  posi- 
tion was  an  impossible  one  from  the  first. 
The  King  was  alternately  gracious  and  over- 
bearing, according  as  he  approximated  to  the 
reaUzation  of  his  ambitions.  Time  and  again 
only  Dr.  Marks'  extraordinary  tact  and  ready 
wit  saved  him  from  forfeiting  the  royal  favour. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  in  those  days 
Burma  was  in  the  Metropolitical  See,  so  that 
Dr.  Marks'  Diocesan  was  the  Bishop  of  Cal- 
cutta.    It   was    through    him    that    the    King 

33 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

hoped  to  influence  the  Viceroy,  and  to  get  back 
once  more  into  his  own  hands  the  Provinces 
which  had  been  annexed  by  England.  Dr. 
Marks'  memoir  and  his  letters  clearly  indicate 
the  eagerness  with  which  the  King  looked  for- 
ward to  the  visit  of  Bishop  Milman  to  Man- 
dalay  for  the  consecration  of  the  church, 
and  the  disgust  which  he  showed  when  he 
found  that  the  Bishop  had  returned  to  Cal- 
cutta without  even  granting  him  an  interview. 
He  took  care  that  this  should  not  happen  on 
the  Bishop's  second  visit. 

The  Bishop  went  to  the  Palace  with  Dr. 
Marks  and  was  graciously  received,  but  when 
he  steadily  refused  to  be  drawn  into  any  con- 
versation about  political  matters,  the  King, 
realizing  that  his  ambitions  in  that  quarter 
were  doomed  to  disappointment,  showed  his 
disgust  by  bringing  the  interview  to  an  abrupt 
conclusion.  We  are  told  by  Dr.  Marks  that 
the  King's  sons  never  again  attended  school 
after  the  Bishop's  first  visit  to  Mandalay. 

The  King  did  not  immediately  withdraw 
his  support  to  Dr.  Marks,  but  there  is  no  doubt 
that  his  favours  were  bestowed  more  and 
more  grudgingly ;    and  after  experiencing  all 

24 


INTRODUCTION 

the  bitterness  of  those  who  put  their  trust 
in  princes,  Dr.  Marks  was  at  length  recalled 
from  Mandalay. 


Dr.  Marks  as  an  Educationalist 

From  first  to  last  Marks'  work  in  Burma  was 
educational.  Although  he  came  out  to  Burma 
as  a  missionary,  he  definitely  took  the  position, 
from  the  very  outset,  that  the  Burmese  could 
only  be  influenced  by  Christianity  through 
educational  work.  Christianity,  as  a  religion, 
provoked  the  Burman  to  nothing  more  useful 
than  barren  controversy.  But  Christianity  as 
English  custom  inspired  him  with  all  the 
respect  which  he  paid  to  the  British  civil  and 
mihtary  administration.  Hence  Dr.  Marks' 
lifelong  work  in  establishing  English  mis- 
sionary schools  all  over  the  country. 

In  attempting  to  appraise  the  value  of  such 
work,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  those 
were  early  days,  and  that  Dr.  Marks  was  a 
pioneer.  Some  of  the  schools  which  he  estab- 
lished have  disappeared.  Some  of  the  prin- 
ciples for  which  he  contended,  as,  e,g.,  the 
co-education  of  Europeans  and  Burmans,  have 

23 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

been  definitely  decided  against  him.  Many  of 
the  questions  which  agitated  him  and  his  con- 
temporaries no  longer  awaken  any  enthusiasm 
one  side  or  the  other.  Has  Dr.  Marks,  then, 
any  right  to  be  considered  an  educationalist 
in  any  real  sense  ? 

To  anyone  who  knows  Burma  it  would  be  a 
sufi&cient  answer  to  this  question  to  point  to 
St.  John's  College  and  other  smaller  educa- 
tional institutions  up  and  down  the  country 
which  remain  as  permanent  results  of  his  work. 
But  I  do  not  think  that  we  of  a  later  genera- 
tion can  do  credit  to  his  work  without  reference 
to  one  of  his  contemporaries.  I  therefore 
take  the  liberty  of  quoting  in  full  a  letter 
written  to  Dr.  Marks  by  Sir  John  Jardine 
in  1913. 

Sir  John  says  :  '*  I  write  to  announce  the 
coming  of  an  event  which  you  have  long 
desired,  I  mean  the  establishment  of  a  Uni- 
versity at  Rangoon.  In  reply  to  a  recent 
question  of  mine  in  the  House  of  Commons, 
I  was  informed  that  although  details  have 
not  been  settled,  the  Government  of  India  are 
making  provision  of  funds  for  the  establish- 
ment of  the  University. 

96 


a 

3 

a. 


INTRODUCTION 

''  You  will  remember  that  some  of  us  in  the 
very  early  days  of  the  Educational  Syndicate 
had  a  vision  that  this  was  to  come,  and  that 
we  did  our  work  in  anticipation  thereof,  keep- 
ing debates  on  a  high  level,  providing  a  library, 
honouring  scholars  and  scholarship  both 
European  and  Oriental,  protecting  and  super- 
intending teachers,  creating  public  opinion, 
trusting  the  people  and  winning  pubHc  con- 
fidence, fixing  standards  of  all  sorts,  making 
examinations  in  all  kinds  of  learning,  and 
enlarging  jurisdiction  in  spite  of  some  oppo- 
sition of  officials. 

'*  Apparently  we  laid  the  foundations  well ; 
the  Syndicate  has  lasted  till  now,  and  soon, 
I  hope,  will  be  merged  in  the  greater  institu- 
tion. Not  many  of  our  colleagues,  perhaps, 
looked  so  far  ahead.  Bishop  Bigandet  did, 
but  he  has  passed  away  before  seeing  the 
University  he  wished  for  come  into  being. 
You  are  a  survivor  ;  a  generation  has  passed 
away,  but  I  write  in  fullness  of  heart  to  you, 
as  I  shall  never  forget  how  thoroughly  you 
worked  in  this  great  cause,  and  how  con- 
stantly and  warmly  you  supported  our  early 

efforts  in  the  spirit  in  which  Sir  Charles  Ber- 

27 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

nard  created  and  trusted  that  important 
Board. 

*'  You  and  I  had  to  frame  a  poHcy  and  to 
fight  for  it,  and  to  spend  many  weary  hours 
over  it.  I  hope  that  our  labours  and  honest 
hopes  have  been  blessed,  and  that  we  have 
done  something  for  the  public  welfare  and  in 
the  spirit  of  the  Author  of  our  Faith." 

No  higher  praise  of  Dr.  Marks'  educational 
work  could  be  desired  than  this,  and  there  are 
few  who  can  speak  with  greater  authority  on 
the  subject  than  Sir  John  Jardine.  The 
Educational  Syndicate  referred  to  by  Sir  John 
was  an  attempt  to  co-ordinate  the  various 
societies  interested  in  educational  work  in  the 
country,  and,  in  spite  of  all  its  obvious  defects, 
it  has  been  of  inestimable  service  to  the  cause 
of  education  in  Burma.  That  success  has 
been  due  in  large  measure  to  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  early  members,  and  though  Dr.  Marks 
is  by  no  means  the  only  one  of  these  who  is 
entitled  to  praise,  his  claim  must  not  be 
overlooked. 

Marks  was  too  strong  a  personaHty  to  work 
harmoniously  on  a  Board  with  others.  As  he 
himself  has  told  us,  he  was  strongly  in  favour 

28 


INTRODUCTION 

of  a  committee  of  one,  and  if  he  fell  into  dis- 
favour in  later  years  with  the  educational 
authorities  in  Burma,  it  must  be  attributed 
rather  to  this  defect  in  his  character  than  to 
a  deficiency  in  his  educational  principles. 

It  is  not,  however,  as  an  educationalist,  in 
the  wider  sense,  that  Dr.  Marks  can  lay  claim 
to  distinction.  It  was  rather  in  the  more 
restricted  sense  as  a  schoolmaster  that  his  work 
commends  itself  to  us.  His  genius  in  this 
direction  is  unquestioned.  As  early  as  1861, 
when  he  had  only  been  little  over  twelve 
months  in  the  country,  it  was  already  recog- 
nized by  his  colleagues.  The  Chaplain  of 
Maulmein  in  his  report  to  the  S.  P.  G.  stated 
that  Mr.  Marks  was  a  first-rate  schoolmaster, 
zealous  and  most  fond  of  his  particular  work, 
and  that  **  He  has  such  a  happy  way  with  him 
in  the  treatment  and  management  of  boys, 
that  they  soon  become  strongly  attached  to 
him,  and  his  personal  influence  is  very  great.'' 

The  writer  of  this  report  succinctly  states  at 
the  very  outset  of  his  career  what  was  the 
secret  of  Dr.  Marks'  success.  It  was  due,  not 
to  his  knowledge  of  high  educational  prin- 
ciples, or  of  extraordinary  powers  of  organiza- 

29 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA  \ 

tion.  It  was  due  simply  to  the  power  of  his 
own  personality. 

He  had  a  passionate  love  for  boys  and  an 
extraordinary  way  of  winning  their  affection. 
He  was  ready  to  give  anything  in  his  power  to 
help  his  **  sons/*  as  he  affectionately  called  his 
pupils.  His  time,  his  money,  his  health,  were 
all  given  without  stint  for  their  welfare.  In  the 
diaries  there  are  frequent  entries  like  the 
following  : 

"  29-1-69.  Having  sat  up  all  night  with 
Kyay  Hmin,  who  for  a  long  time  was  delirious, 
I  slept  a  little  this  morning." 

'*  30-1-69.  Went  to  bed  at  4.30  a.m.  Up 
at  8.30/' 

These  are  just  little  indications  of  what  all 
his  old  boys  say,  that  he  would  sit  up  night 
after  night  with  sick  boys,  and  yet  go  on  quite 
cheerfully  with  his  teaching  work  the  next  day. 

There  is  another  entry  in  the  diaries,  on 
June  2 1st,  1869,  about  the  time  of  the  opening 
of  the  Royal  School  at  Mandalay,  which  again 
illustrates  the  affection  which  he  had  for  his 
pupils  :  "  Give  me,  O  Father,  wisdom  and 
earnestness  to  work  for  Thee  and  Thy  glory 
in  teaching  these  dear  boys.     Bring  them  to 

30 


INTRODUCTION 

the   Good  Shepherd  of  their  souls   and  keep 
them  as  Thine,  now  and  ever." 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  affection 
shown  in  so  real  and  practical  a  form  was  reci- 
procated by  his  Burmese  and  Eurasian  pupils. 
Devotion  to  '*  The  Doctor  "  amounted  almost 
to  a  cult,  which,  after  his  retirement  from 
active  service  in  Burma,  showed  itself  in  the 
formation  of  the  ''  Marks'  Memorial  Fund." 

Two  little  incidents  will  serve  to  illustrate 
the  relations  which  existed  between  Marks  and 
his  pupils.  The  first  is  told  by  the  writer  of 
the  obituary  notice  in  the  Rangoon  Gazette. 
It  was  on  the  eve  of  Marks'  return  to  England 
after  his  last  visit  to  Burma.  All  his  packing 
had  been  done,  and  he  was  to  go  on  board  the 
following  day.  He  had  been  desperately  ill, 
and  was  only  allowed  to  see  privileged  visitors. 
One  of  these,  on  saying  good-bye,  ventured  to 
ask  him  how  his  finances  stood.  '*  After  a 
brief  spell  the  truth  came  out  :  the  sum  that 
had  been  put  aside  for  personal  expenses  had 
gone  ;  it  had  been  given  to  a  Burman  prot^g^ 
who  had  come  to  him  with  a  tale  of  domestic 
distress."  One  solitary  rupee  remained  to 
carry  him  back  to  England  ! 

31 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

The  other  story  was  told  me  in  Rangoon  by 
one  of  the  staff  of  St.  John's  College.  In  the 
early  days  of  that  institution  some  of  the 
teachers  were  returning  from  Rangoon  in  the 
small  hours  of  the  morning  after  a  somewhat 
riotous  evening.  They  had  been  coming  along 
the  road  in  a  very  noisy  manner,  until  one  of 
them  suddenly  recognized  in  the  distance  the 
little  tiny  room  which  for  many  years  served 
the  *'  Doctor "  as  bedroom  and  sitting-room. 
He  at  once  put  up  his  hand  and  said  :  ''  Hush, 
the  Hpongyi  I  "  There  was  immediate  silence, 
and  all  of  the  party,  Eurasians  and  Burmese, 
sat  down  solemnly  in  the  road  and  took  off 
their  boots  before  entering  the  compound, 
just  as  they  would  have  done  if  they  had 
been  going  into  a  Buddhist  monastery,  and 
then  proceeded  silently  to  bed. 

Marks  tell  us  in  his  memoir  that  his  educa- 
tional text-book  was  ^'  Tom  Brown's  School 
Days."  Dr.  Arnold,  of  Rugby,  was  the  model 
upon  which  he  tried  to  fashion  himself.  It 
must  have  been  of  very  great  interest  to  him  to 
find  that  his  first  Bishop,  Dr.  Cotton  of  Cal- 
cutta, was  the  "  New  Master  "  of  that  great 
book.     If   Arnold's    system    was    founded    on 

32 


INTRODUCTION 

the  establishment  of  a  relationship  of  mutual 
affection  and  regard  between  master  and  pupil, 
then  it  can  be  affirmed  without  any  danger 
of  contradiction  that  Marks  was  successful  in 
introducing  that  system  into  the  schools  which 
he  founded  in  Burma. 

Allusion  has  been  made  above  to  the  founda- 
tion of  the  ''  Marks'  Memorial  Fund/'  It 
began  its  existence  in  1898,  when  Marks 
retired  from  active  work  in  Burma.  It  was 
virtually  an  old  boys'  club,  of  which  the 
members  were  the  *'  sons  "  of  Dr.  Marks  whom 
he  had  educated  at  one  or  other  of  the  schools 
which  he  had  founded.  But  the  fund  was 
founded,  not  primarily  for  the  encouragement 
of  esprit  de  corps  in  St.  John's  College,  though 
that  undoubtedly  was  one  of  the  results  of  its 
establishment,  but  for  the  provision  of  a 
pension  for  their  superannuated  principal. 

Gratitude  is  not  a  virtue  which  is  very 
prominent  in  the  Eastern  character.  In  fact, 
most  Englishmen  who  have  spent  their  lives 
and  given  their  best  years  to  the  amelioration 
of  the  lot  of  their  fellow-subjects  in  India, 
frequently  complain  that  their  work  is  but  little 
appreciated  by  those  who  have  chiefly  bene- 

33  3 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

fited  from  it.     They  are  ''  as  the  remembrance 
of  a  guest  that  tarrieth  but  for  a  day." 

Dr.  Marks  had  no  such  experience.  He  was 
remembered  by  his  *'  sons  "  to  his  dying  day, 
and  the  gratitude  of  those  whom  he  had 
worked  for  was  shown,  not  in  empty  expres- 
sions of  regard,  but  in  the  practical  form  of 
a  pension  fund.  The  fund  was  sustained  all 
the  seventeen  years  which  lapsed  between 
Marks'  retirement  and  his  death,  and  the 
affection  which  prompted  it  was  demonstrated 
by  the  fact  that  it  included  a  constant  supply 
of  the  cheroots  for  which  Burma  is  famous, 
and  which  the  Doctor  never  lost  his  liking  for. 
The  *'  Marks'  Memorial  Fund  "  did  not  cease 
even  with  his  death.  It  is  still  maintained, 
and  the  proceeds  are  being  devoted  to  the 
erection  of  a  memorial  chapel  in  connection 
with  St.  John's  College,  and  to  the  foundation 
of  scholarships  for  poor  Burmese  students. 

Dr.  Marks  and  Public  Affairs 

Dr.  Marks  took  a  Hfelong  interest  in  public 
affairs,  especially  during  his  residence  in  Ran- 
goon.    When  the  atrocities  in  Upper  Burma 

34 


INTRODUCTION 

were  perpetrated  by  King  Thibaw,  it  was  a 
letter  from  his  pen  to  the  Rangoon  press  which 
first  called  for  the  vigorous  protest  which  was 
expressed  in  a  magnificent  mass  meeting  in 
Rangoon,  at  which  he  was  one  of  the  speakers, 
and  which  ended  in  the  intervention  of  the 
British  Government. 

But  it  was  mainly  in  connection  with  the 
volunteer  movement  and  with  the  Rangoon 
Municipahty  that  his  activities  in  this  direc- 
tion manifested  themselves.  How  far  it  is 
desirable  for  an  educational  missionary  to  take 
an  active  part  in  such  affairs  is  a  matter  of 
opinion,  and,  unfortunately,  Dr.  Marks  did  not 
always  see  eye  to  eye  with  his  colleagues  on 
this  point.  Bishop  Strachan  considered  it  his 
duty  to  make  a  protest,  and  it  was  one  of  the 
causes  for  the  strained  relations  which  existed 
for  a  long  time  between  these  two  zealous 
missionaries. 

His  activities  in  connection  with  the  volun- 
teer movement  were  less  open  to  question,  and 
in  this,  as  in  so  many  other  matters,  Marks  was 
the  pioneer  in  Burma.  St.  John's  College 
Cadet  Corps  was  the  first  volunteer  detach- 
ment connected  with   any  school   in   Burma. 

35  3* 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

For  many  years  it  enjoyed  the  reputation  of 
being  the  most  efficient  of  all  the  volunteer 
corps  in  the  Province.  During  the  last  Bur- 
mese war  all  the  members,  with  a  few  insignifi- 
cant exceptions,  volunteered  for  active  service, 
and  though  Sir  Harry  Prendergast  did  not  see 
his  way  clear  to  accept  the  offer,  the  corps 
was  placed  under  active  service  conditions, 
and  became,  for  the  time  being,  part  of  the 
garrison  of  Rangoon. 

Since  that  time  several  other  schools  in 
Burma  have  started  cadet  corps,  and  the 
movement  has  passed  beyond  the  experimental 
stage.  It  is  certain  to  become  more  and  more 
important  in  the  future  as  the  duty  of  national 
service  for  all  the  citizens  of  the  British  Empire 
becomes  more  clearly  recognized.  During  the 
present  war  many  of  the  various  races  of 
Burma  have  asked  for  permission  to  serve  in 
the  British  army,  and  although  the  authorities 
naturally  hesitate  to  enrol  all  the  men  of  fight- 
ing age,  or  to  put  arms  in  the  hands  of  those 
who  might  misuse  them,  there  seems  little  to 
be  said  against,  and  much  to  be  said  in  favour 
of,  training  to  arms  the  small  minority  of 
students  who  have  had  the  advantage  of  an 

36 


INTRODUCTION 

English  education,  and  who  realize  the  privi- 
leges and  responsibilities  they  enjoy  as  citizens 
of  the  British  Empire. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  of  value  to  quote 
the  Orders  passed  by  the  Government  with 
regard  to  St.  John's  College  Cadet  Corps  in 
1885: 

"  The  Cadet  Company  of  St.  John's  College, 
Rangoon,  has  for  several  years  past  contained 
more  than  ten  per  cent,  of  Burmese  lads,  and 
this  Company  has  at  repeated  inspections  ac- 
quitted itself  well  under  the  circumstances.  I 
am  to  say  that  St.  John's  College  Company  can 
retain  its  Burmese  Cadets  who  are  already  effi- 
cient, even  though  they  exceed  ten  per  cent,  of 
the  whole  Company.  But  for  the  future,  no 
more  Burmese  Cadets  should  be  enrolled  until 
the  proper  proportion  of  non-European  Cadets 
is  brought  down  to  ten  per  cent,  of  the  Cadet 
Company.  When  once  the  proportion  of  such 
Cadets  has  been  reduced  to  ten  per  cent.,  it  must 
not  be  allowed  to  exceed  that  proportion  in  future.'' 

Dr.  Marks  was  for  many  years  honorary 
chaplain  of  the  Rangoon  volunteers,  and  he 
was  awarded  the  Volunteer  Decoration  for  his 
long  and  devoted  service.     He  was  very  proud 

37 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

of  his  decoration,  and  always  wore  the  insignia 
pinned  to  his  scarf  when  he  conducted  or 
assisted  at  divine  service. 

Of  his  other  activities  in  pubHc  Hfe,  it  is 
sufficient  to  remark  that  he  was  for  many  years 
an  active  and  zealous  Freemason. 


3- 


CHAPTER  I 

THE   OUTWARD   JOURNEY 

TT  was  a  bleak  winter  afternoon  in  1859 
-■'  when  I  appeared  before  the  committee 
of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  at  the  office  at  79,  Pall  Mall,  and  inter- 
viewed the  Rev.  Ernest  Hawkins  and  the  Rev. 
W.  T.  Bullock,  the  secretaries. 

Few  and  short  were  the  questions  put  to  me, 
as  I  was  very  well  known,  and  the  catechism 
which  was  propounded  went  very  much  in 
these  words  : 

'*  Where  do  you  wish  to  go  ?  '* 

*'  Anywhere  where  the  needs  of  the  Society 
are  greatest." 

**  What  kind  of  work  do  you  chiefly  desire  ?  " 

*'  Educational  mainly,'*^ 

*'  Will  you  go  to  Maulmein  ?  " 

''  With  pleasure.     Where  is  it  ?  " 
39 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

'*  If  s  in  Burma." 

I  did  not  like  to  confess  my  ignorance  any 
further,  but  taking  leave  of  the  Committee, 
I  went  into  Stanford's  at  Charing  Cross,  and 
asked  if  they  could  tell  me  where  Maulmein 
was.  The  attendant  in  charge  confessed  ignor- 
ance, but  when  I  said  it  was  in  Burma  it  was 
known  that  it  was  somewhere  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  India,  and  so  Maulmein  was  at 
length  discovered. 

Of  course  there  was  a  lot  of  preliminary 
getting  ready  of  outfit  and  other  prepara^tions 
for  a  long  voyage,  for  in  those  days  junior 
missionaries  did  not  travel  by  the  well- 
appointed  liners  as  they  do  now.  My  passage 
was  taken  in  the  Propontts,  Captain  Barnes,  a 
Penzance  brigantine  of  235  tons  register.  The 
ship  was  bound  from  London  to  Maulmein, 
Burma,  East  Indies.  The  captain,  two  mates, 
nine  sailors,  and  one  passenger,  myself,  made 
her  complement,  fourteen  all  told. 

I  am  not  going  to  describe  our  voyage  in 
detail.  Before  I  embarked,  when  I  made 
known  my  destination  amongst  my  friends, 
my  report  was  received  with  consternation,  and 
several  attempts  were  made  to  dissuade  me. 

40 


THE  OUTWARD  JOURNEY 

I  did  not  meet  anyone  who  could  give  me  any 
information  from  personal  knowledge,  but  the 
country  had  a  bad  reputation. 

"  Don't  go  to  Burma/'  said  a  Madras  major, 
whose  regiment  had  suffered  there  during  the 
war,  "  you'll  die  of  malaria  in  a  month,  and  if 
you  do  not  die  of  that,  those  bloodthirsty 
Burmans  will  kill  you.  Their  great  delight  is 
to  kill  white  people." 

Another  officer  assured  me  that  he  had  lately 
returned  from  Bombay,  where  he  had  had  a 
bad  attack  of  fever,  and  by  all  accounts  Burma 
was  worse  than  Bombay,  and  therefore  he 
strongly  advised  me  to  choose  some  other 
country  to  go  to. 

I  did  not  want  for  advice.  It  is  astounding 
what  an  amount  of  that  commodity  of  all 
kinds  is  lavished  upon  a  youngster  making  his 
first  voyage.  Kind  old  ladies,  of  both  sexes, 
with  most  philanthropic  intentions,  if  they 
have  nothing  else  to  bestow,  can  afford  to  give 
advice  for  what  it  is  worth.  In  after  days  one 
appreciates  the  motive  but  is  amused  at  the 
recollection.  But  again  and  again  during  the 
voyage,  I  wished  that  I  could  have  known 
what  the  voyage  was  likely  to  be.     It  was  my 

41 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

first  experience  and  I  suffered  accordingly.  I 
found  myself  burdened  with  a  lot  of  useless 
things  and  very  deficient  in  things  which 
would  have  tended  greatly  to  my  comfort. 

The  captain  was  a  cheery,  bright  West- 
country  seaman,  very  companionable  and 
pleasant  ;  but  the  tedium  of  the  voyage  from 
December,  1859,  ^^  ^^^  middle  of  May,  i860, 
was  more  than  I  can  describe.  I  had  thought 
that  I  could  learn  something  of  the  language 
on  my  way,  and  I  bought  all  the  books  that 
I  could  think  of.  I  had  Judson's  ''  Gram- 
matical Notes,' '  and  what  I  was  told  was  a 
Burmese  New  Testament.  But  it  was  Karen, 
and,  of  course,  the  two  gave  me  no  more  help 
than  did  some  Malay  and  Sanskrit  books 
which  I  had  also  brought  with  me  !  It  was 
like  trying  to  read  Welsh  with  the  help  of  an 
English  grammar  !  After  several  gallant  and 
painful  attempts  to  make  something  out  of 
the  mixture,  I  had  to  abandon  my  Oriental 
studies  in  despair. 

I  have  often  thought  since,  how  well  it 
would  be  if  we  had  in  London  a  bureau  to  give 
information  to  missionaries  and  others  pro- 
ceeding on  their  first  voyage  to  the  East.     It 

42 


THE  OUTWARD  JOURNEY 

would  save  them  from  many  a  foolish  notion, 
many  a  useless  expense,  and  enable  them  to 
proceed  in  comfort  on  their  journey,  free  from 
anxiety  and  disappointment.  They  would 
know  what  to  take  and  what  they  could  get 
on  arrival,  what  would  be  useful  on  the  voyage 
and  what  would  be  superfluous. 

It  is  amusing  to  the  experienced,  but  painful 
to  the  inexperienced,  to  observe  how  fre- 
quently young  travellers  overload  themselves 
with  what  they  do  not  require,  or  could  procure 
more  cheaply,  and  better  adapted  to  their 
requirements,  on  arrival  at  their  destination. 

The  worst  experience  during  the  voyage  was 
in  the  '*  Roaring  Forties  "  round  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  where  we  encountered  a  series  of 
storms  and  cross  winds  trying  to  the  nerves 
of  even  seasoned  salts,  much  more  to  a  lands- 
man like  myself.  We  were  tossed  about  most 
unmercifully,  the  only  resting-place  being  in 
one's  bunk,  and  even  that  was  invaded  by  big 
seas  that  encroached  on  one's  privacy  and 
gave  us  more  salt-water  baths  than  we  cared 
for. 

But  in  later  days  I  often  called  to  remem- 
brance how  on  the  worst  morning,  when  the 

43 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

storm  was  at  its  height,  I  opened  my  Prayer- 
Book  as  usual  to  read  the  daily  office.  It 
was  the  22nd  day  of  the  month  and  the  107th 
Psalm  :  **  They  that  go  down  to  the  sea  in 
ships.  ...  He  maketh  the  storm  to  cease  so 
that  the  waves  thereof  are  still."  It  seemed 
to  me  a  voice  from  Heaven,  assuring  me  that, 
in  spite  of  present  peril,  there  was  a  kind 
Providence  watching  over  us,  in  whose  power 
was  the  sea  and  all  that  is  in  it,  and  that  He 
would  safely  bring  us  to  the  Haven  where  we 
would  be.  And  so  it  proved.  We  thanked 
God  and  took  courage.  The  crew  joined  with 
me  in  praise  to  God  who  had  preserved  us  so 
that  we  might  pursue  our  voyage  in  com- 
parative comfort. 

To  those  of  my  readers  who  have  had  similar 
experiences  in  sailing  vessels,  in  voyages  of 
nearly  half  a  year's  duration  in  small  cargo 
vessels  ill  adapted  for  carrying  passengers,  I 
need  make  no  apology  for  this  description  of 
my  adventure.  But  should  aay  be  tempted 
to  follow  my  example,  I  would  strongly  and 
emphatically  say  :    '*  Don't !  " 

Still,  it  must  be  granted  that  the  voyage  had 
for   me   certain   advantages.     Mine   had   been 

44 


THE  OUTWARD  JOURNEY 

a  laborious  and  strenuous  career,  and  a  season 
of  retirement  for  qiiiet  reflection  and  devotion, 
with  an  ever-deepening  sense  of  the  importance 
and  responsibiUty  of  the  career  upon  which  I 
was  entering,  and  a  sense  of  reUance  upon 
our  Heavenly  Father's  care,  was  of  immense 
value,  much  more  than  I  realized  at  the  time. 


45 


CHAPTER  II 

FIRST   IMPRESSIONS   OF   BURMA 

"\  "\  riTH  a  feeling  of  the  deepest  thankful- 
^  ^  ness  we  came  at  length  within  sight  of 
the  Island  of  Kalagouk  off  the  coast  of  Burma. 
I  cannot  say  that  my  first  impressions  of  the 
country  coincided  at  all  with  what  I  had  been 
led  to  expect  from  what  had  been  told  me. 

Kalagouk  seemed  rocky,  scrubby,  unin- 
teresting. I  visited  it  afterwards  in  a  Govern- 
ment launch  with  General  Fraser,  R.E.,  and 
we  were  in  more  peril  going  there  and  back 
in  the  well-appointed  steam  launch  than  we 
were  in  our  saiHng-tub  ! 

I  have  learnt  since  that  Kalagouk,  Uke 
everything  else,  has  its  uses.  It  is  being 
utilized,  though  under  immense  difficulties, 
by  the  Burmese  Government  for  quarrying 
purposes.    The  stone  extracted  is  carried  over 

46 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  OF  BURMA 

to  the  mainland  for  the  purpose  of  building 
river  walls  to  protect  Rangoon  from  the  erosion 
of  the  river  banks  by  the  rapid  current  of  the 
river. 

The  beautiful  range  of  mountains  and  hills 
on  the  Tenasserim  coast  now  came  into  view, 
and  soon  the  boat  came  to  anchor  off  the 
Burmese  town  of  Amherst,  where  we  had  to 
wait  till  the  turn  of  the  tide  before  proceeding 
on  the  last  stage  of  our  journey  up  the  estuary 
of  the  Salween  to  Maulmein. 

I  went  ashore  for  a  few  hours  at  Amherst. 
It  is  a  beautifully  situated  town  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Salween,  which  is  one  of  the  great  rivers 
of  the  Eastern  Peninsula.  I  cannot  describe 
its  beauties  adequately.  I  have  visited  it 
or  passed  it  often  since  on  my  numerous 
voyages  along  the  coast,  and  never  without 
recalling  that  delightful  first  landing  after 
more  than  five  months*  confinement  in  a  small 
ship.  I  felt  that  if  I  was  not  in  Paradise  itself, 
I  must  be  somewhere  in  the  neighbourhood.  I 
walked  under  a  grove  of  cocoanut  palms,  glad 
to  be  alone  again  for  a  short  time.  I  confess 
that  I  knelt  down  under  a  large  tree  and 
poured  out  my  soul  in  thankfulness  to  God 

47 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

who  had  brought  me  safe  to  my  destination, 
and  I  prayed  that  my  coming  to  this  beautiful 
country  might  be  for  the  welfare  of  the  people. 
The  words  came  involuntarily  to  my  lips : 
'*  The  lines  are  fallen  unto  me  in  pleasant 
places." 

My  reveries  were  disturbed  most  agreeably 
by  the  arrival  of  some  half-dozen  Burman 
boys,  merry,  laughing,  cheerful  lads,  dressed 
in  pretty  bright  silk  garments.  In  com- 
plexion they  were  only  slightly  brown,  the  hair, 
long  and  black,  reaching  half-way  down  the 
backs  of  some  of  them,  and  tied  up  in  a  bunch 
on  the  tops  of  the  heads  of  others. 

We  looked  at  each  other  in  amusement, 
not  to  say  amazement.  I  had  never  seen 
Burmese  boys  before,  and  apparently  they 
had  never  seen  a  raw  missionary  before. 
I  certainly  had  no  fear  of  them ;  they  showed 
no  fear  of  me  until  I  put  out  my  hand  and 
said  :  "  How  do  you  do,  boys  ?  "  Then  they 
thought  that  I  was  going  to  hit  them  and 
ran  away.  I  burst  out  laughing,  and  they, 
stopping,  laughed  too,  and  when  I  beckoned 
again,  they  came  up  to  me,  and  we  greatly 
amused  one  another  by  carrying  on  a  con- 

48 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  OF  BURMA 

versation  without  a  word  being  understood 
on  either  side. 

I  made  signs  to  them  that  I  had  just  landed 
from  the  ship  which  was  visible  coming  up 
the  river,  and  that  I  was  thirsty  ;  whereupon 
one  of  them^  who  had  in  his  dress  that  won- 
derful dah — a  marvellous  bent  knife,  capable 
alike  of  sharpening  a  lead  pencil  or  of  hacking 
down  a  tree — climbed  a  tree  with  the  agility 
of  a  monkey,  and  cut  off  two  of  the  green  cocoa- 
nuts  ;  then,  as  rapidly  descending,  with  his 
dah  he  cut  off  the  top  of  one  of  them  and 
handed  to  me  the  most  delicious  draught  I 
had  had  for  many  a  long  day,  cold  and  refresh- 
ing, more  than  I  could  drink. 

This  was  my  first  introduction  to  the 
"  bloodthirsty  '*  Burman,  and  I  thought  then, 
as  I  have  often  done  since,  how  incorrect  is 
the  sentiment  expressed  in  dear  Bishop  Heber's 
hymn — written  before  he  had  ever  been  to 
India  or  Ceylon — 

"  Where  every  prospect  pleases 
And  only  man  is  vile." 

As  my  narrative  proceeds,  I  shall  have  much 
to  say  about  the  country  as  it  was  when  I 

49  4 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

first  made  its  acquaintance.  I  will  merely 
remark  here,  in  passing,  that  Amherst,  before 
the  first  Burmese  war  in  1825,  was  called 
Kyaikkami,  and  that  it  was  originally  in- 
tended to  be  the  capital  of  the  newly-acquired 
territory.  It  was  named  after  Lord  Amherst, 
who  was  Viceroy  at  that  time. 

I  had  to  re-embark  on  the  Propontis,  and 
had  my  first  taste  of  river  navigation  in 
Burma,  of  which  I  was  to  enjoy  so  much  in 
after  years.  It  was  as  happy  as  it  was  novel. 
An  Enghsh  pilot  came  on  board  with  his 
native  linesman  and  took  charge  of  us,  to  the 
great  relief  of  the  captain  but  not  of  the  crew, 
who  had  to  be  watchful  and  attentive  to 
Pilot  Berry*s  orders. 

As  we  went  up  the  river  new  points  ol 
interest  opened  out  at  every  turn,  while  the 
incessant  calls  of  the  leadsman,  telling  the 
depth  of  the  water,  gave  me  my  first  dose  of 
sailor's  Hindustani,  that  amalgam  of  East 
and  West,  Enghsh  and  native  talk,  of  which 
I  was  to  learn  so  much  afterwards.  I  learnt 
that  Bahm  meant  "  fathom,"  and  that  Millani 
meant  "  No  bottom  reached."  The  river 
Salween   was   in   full   flood   and   was   a   noble 

50 


FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  OF  BURMA 

stream,  with  many  windings,  pretty  wooded 
banks  and  interesting  villages.  The  houses 
seemed  to  nestle  among  the  trees,  to  be  built, 
the  better  class  of  wood,  with  thatched  roofs 
of  leaves  (Dani),  showing  brown  against  the 
green.  The  greater  number  of  the  houses, 
however,  were  light  and  airy,  built  of  bamboos, 
of  whose  multifarious  uses  I  had  yet  much  to 
learn.  In  Burma  this  gigantic  grass  furnishes 
poles  for  the  houses,  flooring  for  the  rooms, 
thatch  for  the  roof  and  vegetables  for  the 
curry,  besides  making  itself  useful  in  many 
other  ways  ! 

The  houses  are  invariably  one  story,  the 
ground-floor  being  utilized  for  cattle,  buffaloes, 
fowls,  and  for  cooking  purposes.  A  very 
primitive  ladder  of  bamboo  reaches  the  upper 
chamber,  which  is  the  dwelling  and  sleeping 
place  of  the  family. 

Along  the  bank  of  the  river  we  saw  a 
specimen  of  '*  mixed  bathing,"  and  with  most 
perfect  decency  and  thorough  enjoyment  of 
the  aquatic  exercises.  I  did  not,  however, 
observe  a  single  towel  among  all  the  bathers ! 


5x  4* 


CHAPTER  III 

BEGINNING   WORK   IN   MAULMEIN 

/^N  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day  after 
^-^  leaving  Amherst  we  arrived  at  Maul- 
mein.  I  had  learnt  that  one  may  spell  Maul- 
mein  pretty  well  as  one  wishes.  All  that  is 
essential  is  to  get  the  consonants  right,  after 
which  you  may  put  in  any  vowels  you  like. 
This  is  the  case  with  the  names  of  most  of  the 
towns  of  Burma.  One  frequently  finds  on  the 
sign-boards  of  the  railway  stations  that  the 
name  of  the  place  is  spelt  differently  on 
every  one  ! 

The  name  Maulmein  is  not  Burmese  at  all, 
but  Talaing,  a  reminder  of  the  fact  that  until 
two  centuries  ago  there  was,  in  these  parts, 
a  Talaing  kingdom  and  a  Taking  King,  quite 
independent  of  Burma.  The  Burmese  con- 
queror   Alompra,    the     founder    of     Rangoon, 

52 


I 


BEGINNING  WORK  IN  MAULMEIN 

swept  them  away,  and  now  the  Talaings  have 
almost  ceased  to  exist  as  a  separate  people, 
and  their  language  is  all  but  extinct. 

It  was  only  a  village  when  the  British  took 
it  during  the  first  Burmese  war,  but  it  became 
the  capital  of  Tenasserim,  one  of  the  pro- 
vinces which  were  annexed  as  a  result  of  that 
war.  It  flourished  wonderfully  under  British 
rule  until  the  second  Burmese  war,  when 
Rangoon  became  the  capital  of  the  whole  of 
British  Burma. 

Maulmein  and  its  Pagoda  have  been  im- 
mortalized by  Kipling.  Its  situation  is  most 
beautiful.  I  have  seen  Burma  from  end  to 
end,  but  I  have  never  lost  my  first  love  for 
beautiful  Maulmein.  It  is  situated  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  river  Salween,  which  is  joined 
just  above  it  by  the  large  confluents,  the  Gyne 
and  the  Attaran.  A  long  range  of  low  hills 
forms  the  background.  These  hills  are  covered 
with  vegetation  through  which  can  be  seen 
the  houses  of  the  EngHsh  residents  and  the 
pagodas  and  the  monasteries  of  the  Burmese. 
Between  the  hills  and  the  river  lies  the  town 
proper,  with  its  Government  buildings, 
churches,  schools,  bazaars,  shops  and  dwellings, 

53 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

and   along   the   river   bank   are   the   wharves, 
rice  mills  and  timber  yards. 

These  last  are  a  wonderful  sight  to  new- 
comers. The  huge  and  highly-trained  ele- 
phants at  work  all  day  *'  a-piling  teak  **  for 
shipment  are  a  source  of  unfailing  interest. 
With  their  tusks,  trunks  and  feet  they  shift 
huge  baulks  of  timber  according  to  the  will 
of  the  mahout,  or  driver,  who  sits  on  the 
animal's  neck  and  directs  its  movements  by 
means  of  an  iron  hook  which  he  holds  in  his 
hands.  Many  curious  stories  are  told  of  the 
phenomenal  intelligence  of  these  animals. 
Some  of  them  are  said  to  close  one  eye  and 
squint  down  the  logs  as  they  lay  them,  to  see 
if  they  are  straight !  Others  are  said  to  object 
to  work  on  Sundays,  and  they  all  *'  down 
tools  ''  as  punctually  as  the  British  workman 
as  soon  as  the  luncheon-bell  is  heard  ! 

I  was  told  by  my  friends  when  I  left  England 
that  I  ought  to  provide  myself  with  a  revolver 
and  rifle,  *'  for  self-protection "  against  the 
Burmese  people,  who  were  treacherous  savages, 
and  would  murder  any  European  on  the 
sHghtest  provocation.  I  dechned  this  well- 
meant  advice,  and  during  my  whole    time  in 

54 


BEGINNING  WORK  IN  MAULMEIN 

Burma  I  have  never  possessed  or  used  a 
fire-arm  or  weapon  of  any  description.  I  have 
never  once  had  occasion  for  anything  of  the 
sort,  though  I  have  travelled  all  over  Upper 
and  Lower  Burma,  For  five  years  in  Man- 
dalay  I  had  no  door  to  my  house  or  guard  at 
my  gate.  I  have  often  been  the  only  English- 
man in  large  districts  inhabited  by  many 
thousands  of  Burmans.  I  have  slept  in  Zayats, 
or  rest-houses,  without  walls,  and  with  only 
my  schoolboys  around  me,  and  all  in  perfect 
safety  of  person  and  property.  I  know  that 
some  people  have  not  been  so  fortunate.  But 
let  every  man  speak  as  he  finds.  I  have 
trusted  my  Burmese  friends,  and  no  people 
on  earth  could  have  repaid  my  confidence 
with  greater  hospitality  and  kindness. 

From  the  wharf  where  I  landed  in  Maulmein 
I  went  at  once  in  a  gharri,  or  cab,  drawn  by 
a  Burman  pony,  to  the  S.P.G.  Mission  House 
at  Moungan,  where  the  Rev.  A.  Shears  had 
begun  a  small  school  on  fines  which  have 
been  followed  ever  since  in  all  our  S.P.G. 
schools  throughout  the  country.  Children 
were  admitted  only  on  the  distinct  under- 
standing that   they  were   to  be  instructed  in 

55 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

the  Christian  rehgion.  No  parents  or  pupils 
have  ever  raised  any  objection.  But  it  would 
be  wrong  to  suppose  that  their  comphance 
indicates  a  strong  desire  for  Christianity. 
Many  parents  wish  their  sons  to  learn  our 
religion  as  part  of  our  literature,  but  they 
express  no  desire  to  see  them  change  and 
adopt  it  instead  of  Buddhism. 

In  the  year  1869  I  was  at  one  of  the  stations 
on  the  Irrawaddy,  where  I  wanted  to  start 
an  S.P.G.  school.  The  people  came  forward 
very  readily  with  money,  and  we  had  the 
offer  of  a  good  and  suitable  house,  when  all 
of  a  sudden  the  question  of  religion  was 
mooted  by  one  of  the  elders.  He  spoke  very 
calmly  and  respectfully,  and  asked  me  if  I 
meant  to  make  all  the  pupils  Christians. 
Before  I  could  reply,  another  elder  interposed, 
and  asked  whether  the  same  secular  subjects 
would  be  taught  as  were  being  imparted  to 
the  boys  in  Rangoon  and  Maulmein.  I  replied 
that  certainly  the  same  course  of  studies  would 
be  followed,  adding,  however,  that  while  we 
would  do  our  best  in  secular  work,  our  great 
aim  was  by  teaching  our  "  holy  religion  "  to 
make  our  pupils  ''  wise  unto  salvation."     The 

56 


BEGINNING  WORK  IN  MAULMEIN 

meeting  liked  my  plain  speaking,  and  after 
conversation  among  themselves,  the  second 
elder  who  had  questioned  me  summed  up 
thus  :  *'  We  give  our  children  rice  as  their 
daily  food,  and  one  or  more  kinds  of  curry, 
fish,  vegetables  or  meat,  as  we  can  afford. 
All  eat  rice,  so  all  must  have  secular  instruc- 
tion. The  curry  is  like  the  rehgious  teaching. 
We  have  given  them  Buddhism  curry;  this 
English  priest  brings  Christianity.  So  both 
are  set  before  our  boys.  Let  them  taste  both 
and  judge  for  themselves  which  they  like  best.'' 
This  speech  thoroughly  pleased  the  assembled 
parents.  The  school  was  established  and 
prospered  in  all  things,  until  it  was  unfortu- 
nately burned  down  by  carelessness  in  1876. 

Much  work  lay  to  our  hands  in  Maulmein. 
Its  extent  and  interest  seemed  to  be  bewil- 
dering. The  first  thing  was,  of  course,  to 
learn  the  language — Burmese.  It  surprised 
me  to  know  that  over  forty  different  native 
languages  were  spoken  in  that  Eastern  penin- 
sula. But  though  a  knowledge  of  any  of  these 
would  be  useful,  and  a  smattering  of  some 
almost  essential,  Burmese  was  the  language 
to  be  learned,  and  a  very  difficult  language  it 

57 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

is.  Unlike  the  languages  of  India,  it  is  of  the 
Mongolian  famil}^  and  with  sHght  exceptions 
monosyllabic.  I  set  to  work  to  learn  it,  not 
in  the  orthodox  fashion  with  dictionaries  and 
grammars,  but  by  making  my  Burmese  pupils 
my  teachers.  Whilst  I  taught  them  to  speak, 
read  and  write  English,  they  taught  me  to  read, 
write  and  talk,  and  preach  in  Burmese.  It 
was  a  very  interesting  process,  and  we  could 
afford  a  hearty  laugh  over  each  other's  blunders. 
But  the  result  was  highly  satisfactory  on  both 
sides.  We  had  no  bitterness  of  learning,  no 
sleepiness,  but  many  an  opportunity  of  know- 
ing each  other's  mode  of  thought  and  pecu- 
Harities,  and  of  forming  a  real  and  lasting 
friendship.  My  chief  tutor-pupil  was  my 
companion  for  many  years  afterwards,  and 
my  fellow- worker.  His  son  is  occupying  a 
responsible  position  as  a  Christian  teacher  in 
one  of  our  Mission  schools. 

Then  we  needed  for  our  school  and  chapel 
more  and  better  accommodation.  The  house 
that  we  rented  was  large,  but  not  large  enough 
for  our  increasing  numbers.  So  at  last  we 
resolved  to  make  an  entire  alteration,  which 
gave  us  a  beautiful  large  hall  with  an  annexe 

58 


BEGINNING  WORK   IN   MAULMEIN 

to  use  as  a  chapel,  an  extensive  tectum,  or 
covered  play-room,  and  a  swimming  bath. 
Much  of  the  expense  of  these  improvements, 
and  of  the  gymnasium  which  we  erected,  was 
defrayed  by  the  liberality  of  Mr.  Shears,  who 
spared  neither  the  time  nor  the  labour  to 
further  the  work  of  the  Mission. 


59 


CHAPTER  IV 

SCHOOL   WORK   IN   MAULMEIN 

1\  yfR.  SHEARS,  the  Chaplain  of  Maulmein, 

^^ ^      had    arrived    the     previous     year     by 

P.  and  O.     The  house  which  he  had  taken  was 

large  and  substantial,   and,   being  entirely  of 

wood,  was  easily  capable  of  extension. 

To  begin  a  school  in  Burma  is  the  easiest 
thing  in  the  world.  The  Burmese  have  a 
natural  love  of  being  taught.  It  has  come  to 
them  through  many  generations.  As  soon  as 
a  boy  can  toddle,  he  goes  to  the  school  at  the 
Buddhist  monaster}^  where  he  is  safe  under 
the  care  of  the  monks.  If  he  wants  food, 
there  is  plenty  of  it.  His  school  equipment  is 
of  the  simplest,  consisting  only  of  a  black 
paper  spelling-book,  from  which  he  learns  to 
shout  out  his  lessons  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 
Everything  is  of  the  most  primitive  kind,  but 

60 


SCHOOL  WORK  IN  MAULMEIN 

admirably  adapted  to  his  needs  in  his  infancy 
and  early  boyhood. 

As  he  grows  up,  however,  he  wants  some- 
thing better,  and  the  European  who  will  take 
him  in  hand  and  continue  his  instruction  at 
once  commands  his  friendship. 

Mr.  Shears  had  gathered  a  nice  lot  of  boys 
as  day  scholars  and  a  few  of  them  as  boarders, 
and  he  had  got  together  some  Burmese 
assistants  and  a  few  Eurasians.  This  school- 
work  at  once  awoke  my  interest.  It  was  just 
what  I  had  left  home  to  devote  myself  to. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  an  excellent  beginning 
had  been  made,  but  as  I  got  to  understand 
the  language,  and  to  look  around  me  and  see 
the  possibilities  of  development,  I  began  to 
feel  restless  and  dissatisfied. 

When  I  left  England  I  understood  that 
Mr.  Shears  wished  to  devote  himself  to  direct 
missionary  work,  and  to  hand  over  the  school 
to  a  person  like  myself  who  was  experienced 
in  school  management.  On  my  arrival,  how- 
ever, he  did  not  seem  inclined  to  hand  over 
the  management  of  the  school  to  me,  and  as 
time  went  on,  I  became  less  and  less  willing  to 
acquiesce  in  the  manner  in  which  it  was  being 

6i 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

carried  on.  So  differences  of  opinion  arose 
between  us  which  were  not  finally  settled  till 
the  arrival  of  Bishop  Cotton,  the  Bishop  of 
Calcutta,  in  whose  diocese  Maulmein  and  the 
whole  of  British  Burma  was  then  included. 

One  very  serious  question  which  presented 
itself  to  me  was  the  admission  and  inclusion  of 
the  sons  of  Europeans  into  our  Mission  school. 
It  was  to  my  mind  unthinkable  that  we  should 
be  giving  the  best  education  in  our  power  to 
native  boys  and  exclude  from  our  schools  the 
sons  of  our  own  co-religionists  and  countrymen 

It  was  true  that  we  were  missionaries  to  the 
heathen,  but  it  was  true  also  that  we  were 
charged  especially  to  do  good  to  them  "  which 
are  of  the  household  of  Faith.**  A  school  for 
European  boys  other  than  Roman  Catholics 
had  long  been  needed,  and  a  large  sum  of 
money  had  been  collected  by  the  Chaplain 
and  sent  to  the  S.P.G.,  with  the  request  that 
a  trained  competent  schoolmaster  should  be 
selected  and  sent  out.  But  the  selection  had 
not  been  made  and  much  delay  had  taken 
place,  and  the  parents  very  earnestly  begged 
of  us  to  receive   their  boys  into  our  Mission 

school. 

62 


SCHOOL  WORK  IN  MAULMEIN 

The  Chaplain  agreed  that  we  would  receive 
them  pending  the  establishment  of  a  separate 
school  for  Europeans,  and  the  Commissioner 
of  the  Province,  the  Colonel  commanding  the 
regiment,  the  leading  barrister  and  other 
residents  sent  their  sons,  paying,  instead  of 
the  one  rupee  which  the  natives  were  charged, 
six  rupees  per  month. 

This  added  considerably  to  our  funds  and 
enabled  us  to  pay  our  assistant  teachers  better 
and  to  improve  our  accommodation.  More- 
over, it  interested  the  English  community  in 
our  educational  work,  and  made  them  under- 
stand the  lines  upon  which  we  were  working. 

The  practice  of  receiving  European  boys 
into  schools  originally  intended  only  for 
natives  is  not,  of  course,  free  from  danger. 
Not  all  such  schools  are  fit  for  Europeans,  nor 
are  all  teachers  to  be  trusted  to  safeguard  the 
admixture  ;  but  in  the  case  of  our  Maulmein 
school  it  worked  admirably  and  with  perfect 
satisfaction  to  parents  and  pupils  alike. 

It  required  constant  supervision  and  earnest 
care.  The  manners  and  customs  of  the 
different  sets  of  pupils  had  to  be  taken  into 
consideration    and    provided    for.     No    prefer- 

63 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

ence  could  be  shown  either  to  Europeans,  as 
the  governing  class,  or  to  the  natives,  as  being 
those  for  whom  the  school  was  primarily 
intended.  But  with  care  and  tact  all  diffi- 
culties were  surmounted,  and  the  whole 
institution  worked  most  harmoniously.  To 
this  day  pupils  of  the  several  nationalities, 
who  are  now  grandfathers,  speak  of  their 
experience  in  our  Maulmein  Mission  school  in 
the  very  highest  terms. 

But  the  strain  upon  my  own  energies  was 
very  great,  and  that,  together  with  the  change 
of  life  and  the  privations  of  the  voyage,  told 
upon  my  health,  and  several  times  I  was 
compelled  to  retire  into  a  sick-chamber  other 
than  the  single  room  in  the  school  which  was 
my  home.  All  my  illnesses  in  Burma  have 
occurred  at  the  beginning  of  the  rains — i.e., 
in  May  or  June. 

Never  can  I  forget  the  exceeding  kindness 
of  everybody  during  those  times  of  severe 
illness.  The  Civil  Surgeon  was  unremitting 
in  his  attention,  so  was  the  Chaplain,  so  was 
everybody.  The  Burmese  schoolboys  showed 
their  affection  for  their  teacher  by  night  and 
day  attendance  upon  me. 

64 


SCHOOL  WORK  IN  MAULMEIN 

Let  me  give  two  instances  of  the  kindness 
which  I  received.  The  Deputy  Commissioner, 
Colonel  Tickell,  insisted  upon  removing  me  to 
his  house  for  quiet  rest  and  medical  treat- 
ment, and  there  the  Civil  Surgeon  and  the 
Chaplain  constantly  visited  me.  An  abscess 
formed  on  my  right  side,  requiring  careful 
treatment,  and  in  those  days  we  had  no  female 
nurses,  our  only  hospital  attendants  were  from 
the  jail  dispensary. 

One  afternoon  in  the  crisis  of  my  illness  I 
was  alone  in  the  Deputy  Commissioner's  house, 
and  a  convict  hospital  servant  was  sent  to 
apply  liniment.  We  were  alone  together,  and 
I  noticed  a  sudden  change  in  the  man  when  he 
saw  how  weak  I  was.  He  ceased  to  rub  me 
with  the  liniment,  and  with  eyes  glaring  like 
those  of  a  tiger,  he  sprang  at  my  throat  and 
tried  to  strangle  me.  I  struggled  with  him  as 
far  as  my  weakness  would  allow,  but  I  felt 
myself  gradually  sinking,  when  I  made  one 
final  effort  to  scream  for  help.  The  servants 
came  rushing  in  just  in  time  to  drag  my 
assailant  from  me.  By  this  time  he  was  a 
raving  maniac,  and  it  was  all  they  could  do 
to  overpower  him.     He  was  a  Thug,  one  of  a 

65  5 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

tribe  of  hereditary  murderers,  with  whom 
strangulation  was  a  fine  art.  He  had  been 
condemned  to  death  for  murder  in  India,  but 
his  sentence  had  been  commuted  into  one  of 
transportation  for  Hfe. 

The  Roman  Cathohc  Bishop,  Dr.  Paul 
Bigandet,  a  scholar  of  European  fame,  beloved 
and  respected  throughout  Burma,  had  shown 
me  much  kindness  and  given  me  useful  advice 
from  the  first,  and  he  was  a  life-long  friend 
and  companion  during  our  time  together  in 
all  parts  of  Burma. 

He  visited  me  in  my  illness  constantly,  and 
one  day  he  kindly  said  to  me  :  **  I  know  that 
your  anxiety  about  your  young  school  is  re- 
tarding your  recovery.  I  do  not  wonder  at  it, 
for  I  have  suffered  in  the  same  way  myself. 
But  I  want  to  try  and  help  5^ou.  I  have  two 
Brothers  of  the  Christian  School  who  have 
just  come  from  Europe,  and  who  know  English 
well.  Let  me  send  them  up  to  your  school. 
I  promise  you  that  they  shall  teach  nothing 
that  you  do  not  wish.  They  shall  merely 
direct  the  secular  instruction  and  carry  out 
your  own  plans  and  do  just  as  you  wish.''  It 
was  a  noble  offer,  but  I  could  not  accept  it. 

66 


SCHOOL  WORK  IN  MAULMEIN 

But  I  have  never  ceased  to  feel  deeply  grateful 
for  such  a  generous  proposal. 

My  love  and  admiration  for  this  grand  prelate 
deepened  throughout  the  long  intercourse  with 
him  in  boats,  in  carts,  in  steamers  and  bun- 
galows. **  We  took  sweet  counsel  together," 
and  often  and  often  I  wished  that  I  could  add  : 
*'  and  walked  in  the  House  of  God  as  friends." 
That  last  privilege  was  denied  us,  but  we  often 
read  together.  His  favourite  author  was 
Cornelius  a  Lapide,  and  we  often  laughed  as  I 
read  aloud  on  board  the  steamer  in  my  English 
pronunciation  of  Latin. 

Let  me  tell  one  story  of  our  intercourse.  In 
after-times,  when  we  were  together  at  Man- 
dalay,  where  he,  like  myself,  was  a  persona 
grata  with  King  Mindon,  we  were  one  day 
together  at  the  Palace.  There  was  a  large 
assembly  of  ministers  of  state,  who  were 
talking  with  the  King  on  various  matters 
social  and  political,  when  all  of  a  sudden  the 
King  turned  to  us,  and  a  propos  of  nothing, 
said :  "  What  is  the  difference  between  you 
two  teachers  of  religion  ?  " 

It  was  a  difficult  question  to  answer  to  a 
Buddhist  king  in  a  heathen  court.     I  turned 

67  5* 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

to  Dr.  Bigandet  and  said  :  *'  Bishop,  you  tell 
him,  please/'  "  No,'*  he  said,  *'  I'd  rather 
you  tell  him."  The  King  noticed  our  diffi- 
culty, and  said  :  '*  You  answer  me,  Bigandet." 
With  wonderful  French  readiness  the  Bishop 
replied  :  **  The  English  priest  can  get  married 
but  I  cannot."  The  King  laughed  and  said  : 
**  Is  that  all  ?  And  for  that  you  want  two 
churches  to  worship  in  ! "  But  then  turning 
to  me  the  King  inquired  :  *'  English  priest, 
why  have  you  not  married  ? "  ''  Because, 
your  Majesty,  no  lady  has  asked  me."  At 
which  answer  there  was  general  laughter,  in 
which  His  Majesty  heartily  joined.  *'  Then 
why  not  marry  one  of  my  daughters  ?  "  said 
the  King.  I  had  to  confess  that  His  Majesty 
did  me  too  much  honour,  and  I  must  remain 
single.  What  might  have  happened  if  I  had 
been  matrimonially  ambitious  I  refrain  from 
even  contemplating  ! 
But  this  is  a  digression. 

It  was  a  real  pleasure  when  I  got  well  to 
find  the  school  buildings  ready  for  a  grand 
opening  by  the  Commissioner,  Major- General 
A.  Fytche,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  miHtary 

68 


I 


SCHOOL  WORK  IN  MAULMEIN 

and  civil  officers,  and  of  the  merchants  and 
other  people  of  Maulmein.  I  think  that  it  was 
one  of  the  happiest  days  of  my  Hfe.  We  had 
about  three  hundred  boys  of  all  nationalities — 
English,  Eurasian,  Armenian,  Jews,  Hindoos, 
Madrassis — while  the  majority  were  Burmese, 
Talaings,  Chinese,  Shans  and  Karens.  All 
were  in  their  best  and  gayest  clothes,  and  the 
scene  was  highly  picturesque.  The  Burman 
boy*s  dress  is  very  beautiful.  It  is  called  a 
putsOj  and  is  about  fifteen  cubits  long  and 
two  and  a  half  wide.  It  is  made  of  thick  silk 
woven  in  wavy  lines  of  various  bright  colours. 
It  is  wound  round  the  body,  kilt  fashion,  tucked 
in  with  a  twist  in  front,  and  the  portion  which 
remains  is  gathered  up  and  allowed  to  hang 
in  folds  from  the  waist,  or  thrown  jauntily  over 
the  shoulder.  The  upper  part  of  the  body  is 
covered  with  a  tight-fitting  silk  or  cotton 
jacket.  Around  the  head  a  gay  flowered  silk 
handkerchief  is  worn  as  a  turban.  The  boy's 
hair  is  jet  black  and  very  long,  so  that  he  can 
often  sit  upon  it  when  he  lets  it  down.  But 
he  oils  and  combs  it  very  carefully,  and  gathers 
it  into  a  top-knot  (yowng)  on  the  top  of  his 
head.     We    had    at    our    opening    a    Christian 

69 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

service  and  various  speeches,  and  a  short 
examination  of  the  pupils,  and  all  went  off 
very  happily. 

Shortly  after  this,  on  Christmas  morning, 
1861,  we  were  gratified  by  a  visit  to  Maul- 
mein  of  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  Dr.  G.  E.  L. 
Cotton,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Cotton  and  the 
Rev.  F.  R.  Vallings,  the  Secretary  of  the 
Calcutta  S.P.G.  Committee.  The  Bishop  wrote 
afterwards  :  ''A  brighter  inauguration  of  the 
Christmas  Festival  I  do  not  remember  ever  to 
have  experienced.  Arrived  ofi  the  main  wharf 
at  10.30  on  Christmas  morning,  the  captain 
hurried  us  on  shore,  and  himself  ordered  a 
tikkagharri  (hired  cab)  for  us.  At  10.50  we 
were  in  the  vestry  of  St.  Matthew's,  and  at 
II  I  amazed  the  unconscious  Maulmeinians 
by  appearing  in  full  robes  in  church  .  .  .On 
Monday,  December  30th,  I  breakfasted  at  the 
S.P.G.  Mission,  and  afterward  began  the  grand 
business  of  the  day,  viz.,  a  public  examination 
and  prize-giving  at  the  Mission  school,  at  which 
I  was  to  take  the  chair.  Of  the  excellence  of 
the  school  and  entire  success  of  the  public 
exhibition  there  can  be  no  doubt.  .  .  .  The 
sight  of  the  assembled  boys,  or  rather  the  whole 

70 


SCHOOL  WORK  IN  MAULMEIN 

examination  scene,  was  of  almost  romantic 
interest.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  pic- 
turesque variety  of  the  bright  colours  of  their 
putsoes  and  turbans,  sometimes  relieved  by 
the  dark  dress  of  an  English  boy,  and  the 
blue  jacket  and  trousers  of  a  Chinese.  They 
were  examined  for  about  two  and  a  half  hours 
in  the  Bible,  geography,  English  and  Burmese 
reading,  and  arithmetic,  and  answered  remark- 
ably well.  They  showed  their  English  writing, 
and  sang  sundry  hymns,  chants,  and  even  an 
anthem,  with  one  or  two  rounds  or  catches, 
certainly  with  harsh  voices,  but  in  capital 
time  and  tune.  The  curriculum  is  certainly 
lower  than  in  a  good  Bengal  school,  as  may  be 
expected,  considering  the  recent  origin  of  this. 
But  all  that  is  done  is  well  and  thoroughly 
done,  and  it  is  plain  .  .  .  that  there  is  a 
large  outlay  on  the  part  of  the  managers 
of  zeal,  ability  and  enthusiasm  in  behalf  of 
the  school." 

The  various  reforms  which  I  had  introduced 
were  approved  and  confirmed  by  Bishop 
Cotton,  and  all  promised  to  be  satisfactory, 
when  Mr.  Shears,  who  had  suddenly  changed 
his  mode  of  life   from  extreme  asceticism  to 

71 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

married  bliss,  felt  compelled  to  leave  Burma 
never  to  return. 

We  all  regretted  this  very  sincerely,  for 
though  in  matters  of  school  management  and 
other  unimportant  details  Mr.  Shears  differed 
from  the  rest  of  us,  we  all  had  the  highest 
respect  for  his  zeal,  earnestness  and  generosity 
in  founding  the  Mission. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  we  introduced 
athletics  on  something  resembling  the  English 
school  plan  amongst  our  boys.  They  had 
their  own  national  game  of  Chin-Ion^  a  kind  of 
football.  The  ball  is  made  of  wickerwork, 
strips  of  bamboo  interwoven  in  bands,  hollow 
and  extremely  light,  and  the  game  consists 
in  keeping  the  ball  as  long  as  possible  in  the 
air  without  touching  it  with  the  hands ;  a 
circle  of  players,  without  shoes  and  with  their 
loins  girded,  strike  the  ball  in  turns  as  it  comes 
to  them,  with  their  knees,  elbows,  shoulders — 
anywhere  except  with  their  hands.  To  play 
it  well  requires  much  skill  and  practice. 

Cricket  was  unknown  amongst  our  boys 
until  we  one  day  had  a  visit  from  Captain 
Hedley  Vicars  (a  cousin  of  the  Crimean  hero), 
of  the  68th  Durham  Light  Infantry.     He  was 

72 


SCHOOL  WORK  IN  MAULMEIN 

a  famous  cricketer  and  delighted  in  the  game, 
and  he  gave  our  boys  some  lessons,  in  which 
they  showed,  as  he  said,  *'  all  the  qualities  that 
go  to  make  good  cricketers.'*  He  died  a  few 
months  afterwards  in  Rangoon  from  the  effects 
of  a  fall  from  his  pony.  But  eleven  years 
afterwards,  being  in  Rugby  for  S.P.G.,  I  was 
asked  to  call  on  his  sisters,  who  read  to  me  the 
letter  he  had  written  to  them  about  our  Maul- 
mein  boys'  cricket,  and  they  insisted  upon 
sending  a  cricket-bat  in  his  name  to  the 
champion  cricketer  of  St.  John's  College. 
General  Fytche,  our  Commissioner,  most  kindly 
made  the  school  a  present  of  a  full  set  of  bats, 
wickets,  balls,  etc.,  and  good  use  they  made 
of  them. 

From  all  that  I  have  said  with  regard  to 
the  Burmese  and  Buddhism,  it  will  be  seen  that 
missionaries  of  the  Gospel  have  no  light  task 
before  them.  One  thing,  however,  we  have  in 
our  favour.  Buddhism  is  thoroughly  tolerant. 
Neither  the  laity  nor  the  Hpongyis  (monks) 
have  any  objection  to  our  teaching  Chris- 
tianity to  old  or  young.  Hpongyis  have  very 
often  brought  me  one  of  their  best  pupils, 
saying  :    ''  Here,  teacher,  please  take  this  boy. 

73 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

I  have  taught  him  all  that  I  can  ;  now  I  give 
him  to  you."  And  when  I  repeat  my  formula 
that  ours  is  a  Christian  school,  and  all  pupils 
must  learn  our  religion,  they  raise  no  objection. 
The  one  difficulty  is  the  necessity  we  are  under 
of  requiring  payment,  for  all  the  monastic 
schools  are  perfectly  free,  and  Hpongyis  are 
not  allowed  to  have  any  money.  But  we  have 
generally  found  some  means  of  getting  over 
this  difficulty.  Some  of  our  most  satisfactory 
Christian  pupils  were  originally  brought  to  us 
in  this  fashion.  It  was  the  case  with  the  first 
of  our  new  Rangoon  school  company  that  I 
had  the  pleasure  to  receive  into  the  Christian 
Church  by  Holy  Baptism.  He  was  a  pupil- 
teacher,  a  good  honest  lad.  He  went  back 
to  Maulmein  and  obtained  the  consent  of  his 
Buddhist  parents.  I  baptized  him  by  the 
name  of  Samuel  in  Burmese,  in  the  presence  of 
many  friends  of  the  Mission  and  of  his  school- 
fellows, in  the  Cantonment  church,  the  service 
having  been  translated,  though  not  yet  printed, 
by  Mr.  Shears  and  myself.  In  the  translation 
work  I  was  very  kindly  helped  by  the  Roman 
Cathohc  Bishop,  Dr.  Bigandet,  and  by  several 
of  the  American  Baptist  missionaries. 

74 


CHAPTER  V 

ORDINATION   AT   CALCUTTA 

T  N  spite  of  constant  ill-healthy  I  resumed 
^  work  at  the  school,  where  we  had  en- 
larged the  buildings,  added  a  gymnasium,  a 
bathing  tank  and  separate  class-rooms.  Just 
at  that  time  the  news  arrived  that  the  master 
for  the  European  school  had  been  selected 
and  was  on  his  way  to  Maulmein.  In  pur- 
suance of  our  undertaking  we  had  perforce  to 
surrender  our  European  scholars  to  him.  The 
boys  were  most  unwilling  to  go,  and  several 
of  the  parents  declared  that  as  they  had  not 
been  parties  to  the  contract  they  would  not 
withdraw  their  boys. 

One  at  least  got  up  a  petition  to  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  protesting  against  this 
interference  with  the  liberty  of  the  subject. 
But  it  had  to  be  done,  though  I  confess  that 

75 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

I  did  it  sorrowfully.  The  master  arrived,  a 
good  schoolmaster  for  England,  but  incapable 
of  accommodating  himself  to  the  ideas  of  the 
Chaplain  and  committee  of  the  new  school, 
and  to  make  a  long  story  short,  the  school 
was  not  a  success  and  terminated  in  a  dramatic 
disagreement. 

Before  that  happened,  however,  my  younger 
brother  had  arrived,  and  we  had  both  left  for 
a  visit  to  Calcutta  on  the  invitation  of  Bishop 
Cotton.  I  spent  my  time  in  Calcutta  as  the 
guest  of  the  learned  and  ascetic  Dr.  W.  Kay 
of  Lincoln  College,  Oxford,  the  friend  and 
associate  of  Dr.  Pusey,  and  his  under-study  as 
Professor  of  Hebrew  at  Oxford.  I  was  also 
the  guest  of  the  genial  F.  R.  ValHngs,  the 
secretary  of  the  S.P.G.,  one  of  the  kindest- 
hearted  men  whom  it  has  ever  been  my  good 
fortune  to  meet.  My  recreation  was  visiting 
La  Martiniere  College  for  boys  and  girls,  the 
Calcutta  Free  School  and  similar  institutions. 

In  all  these  schools  I  took  the  livehest 
interest.  I  felt  that  they  were  hardly  up  to 
the  English  standard,  especially  as  regards 
the  relationship  between  masters  and  pupils. 

There  was  a  standoi!ishness  which  was  irksome 

76 


4 

I 


ORDINATION  AT  CALCUTTA 

to  me,  and  which  I  felt  to  be  not  wholly  bene- 
ficial to  either  party.  More  mutual  trust  and 
affection  might  well  have  been  encouraged 
without  loss  of  dignity  or  infringement  of 
discipline. 

The  Director  of  PubKc  Instruction,  Mr. 
Woodrow,  was  a  man  after  my  own  heart,  a 
pupil  of  Dr.  Arnold  of  Rugby,  and  a  beHever 
in  ''Tom  Brown's  School  Days,'*  which  I 
confess  to  be  my  educational  text-book.  Let 
me  mention,  in  passing,  that  the  then  Bishop 
of  Calcutta  was  the  ''  new  master "  of  that 
celebrated  work.  The  Bishop  lacked  in  one 
thing  only — geniahty — but  in  everything  else 
he  was  excellent.  When  I  sat  with  him  in 
Bishop's  Palace  and  poured  out  my  soul  with 
regard  to  Arnold's  methods,  he  glowed  with 
enthusiasm,  and  once  burst  out,  ''  I  wish  you 
could  have  been  with  us  at  Rugby !  "  So 
did  I. 

La  Martiniere  College  had  a  curious  history. 
It  was  one  of  three  institutions  founded  by  a 
bequest  of  General  Martine,  a  French  adven- 
turer, who  made  a  fortune  by  manipulating 
the  jewels  in  the  crowns  and  coronets  of  the 
Princes  of  India.     On  his  death  he  left  a  very 

77 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

large  sum  of  money  for  the  foundation  of  three 
schools  which  were  to  be  named  after  him, 
one  in  Calcutta,  one  in  Lucknow,  and  one  in 
his  native  city  of  Lyons.  He  stipulated  that 
the  education  was  to  be  given  to  European 
and  Eurasian  children  in  the  Christian  religion. 
The  question  as  to  what  precisely  was  meant 
by  this  term  having  come  before  the  courts, 
it  was  decided  that  a  scheme  should  be  drawn 
up  by  Dr.  Wilson,  who  was  then  Bishop  of 
Calcutta,  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishop,  and 
the  senior  Presbyterian  chaplain  1  A  very 
curious  document  was  produced  and  was 
accepted,  but  the  Pope,  on  hearing  thereof, 
at  once  prohibited  it,  and  declared  that  he 
would  accept  no  scheme  which  was  not  wholly 
Roman  Catholic. 

The  management  of  La  Martiniere  School  at 
Calcutta  and  Lucknow  consequentl}^  passed 
entirely  into  the  hands  of  the  Anglicans  and 
Presbyterians.  The  principal  at  that  time 
was  a  Cambridge  Wrangler,  a  great  mathe- 
matician, a  typical  college  don,  a  kind,  good 
fellow,  but  wanting  in  health  and  strength, 
which  prevented  him  from  entering  into  the 
games  of  the  pupils.    As  director  of  studies  he 

78 


ORDINATION  AT  CALCUTTA 

was  excellent.     It  was  not  his  fault  that  he 
was  not  an  Arnold  or  a  Woodrow. 

The  Calcutta  Free  School  had  a  different 
history.  It  was  founded  by  Lord  Clive  with 
the  spoils  of  his  victory,  and  it  has  done  im- 
mense good  amongst  the  poorer  class  of  the 
Eurasian  population  of  Calcutta. 

Amongst  these  children  I  found  great  delight, 
and  I  am  by  no  means  ashamed  to  confess  that 
I  made  friendships  among  them  which  have 
continued  till  the  present  day.  One  of  the 
most  interesting  memorials  of  my  Ordination 
on  November  ist,  1863 — when  the  Cathedral 
of  Calcutta  was  crowded  by  my  young  friends, 
pupils  and  teachers  of  the  Calcutta  schools — 
was  a  beautiful  pocket  Communion  Service, 
with  the  inscription  :  *'  A  token  of  affection, 
from  the  boys  and  girls  of  La  Martiniere,  Cal- 
cutta,*' and  a  Bible  inscribed  :  ''  Presented  to 
the  Rev.  J.  E.  Marks  by  the  pupil  teachers  and 
boys  of  the  Calcutta  Free  School,  as  a  small 
memento  of  their  gratitude  for  the  interest 
he  took  in  their  welfare,  and  of  their  affection 
for  the  kindness  he  showed  towards  them  at  all 
times,  especially  by  promoting  their  amuse- 
ments.** 

79 


CHAPTER  VI 

BEGINNING   WORK   IN    RANGOON 

A  FTER  my  Ordination,  Bishop  Cotton 
"^^^  decided  that  I  should  go  to  Rangoon 
to  start  a  new  school  there.  In  the  mean- 
while, I  was  to  visit  Akyab,  to  hold  services 
there  on  my  way  to  Rangoon. 

At  Akyab  I  was  warmly  received  by  the 
Commissioner,  General  Ardagh,  and  during 
the  fortnight  that  I  spent  there  as  his  guest 
I  held  daily  services.  Before  my  departure, 
a  meeting  was  held  under  the  chairmanship 
of  the  Commissioner,  and  substantial  help 
was  given  to  the  new  Mission.  Some  of  the 
principal  native  officials  and  merchants  begged 
me  to  take  their  sons  with  me  to  Rangoon, 
and  I  took  eight  or  nine  lads,  who  proved 
the     most     troublesome     that    I    have     ever 

had. 

80 


:    ■'■        l< 


o 


t 


BEGINNING  WORK  IN  RANGOON 

Several  of  them  bolted  back  to  Akyab,  as 
they  could  not  endure  the  separation  from 
their  parents  and  native  country  and  the 
disciphne  of  a  boarding  school.  I  liked 
Arakanese  boys  least  of  all  my  pupils.  But 
yet  one,  the  least  promising  of  the  runaways, 
afterwards  became  a  trusted  and  titled  officer 
of  Government,  and  a  most  loyal,  generous  and 
efficient  supporter  of  our  Missions,  himself 
being  an  earnest  Christian  and  lay  reader. 
One  of  our  S.P.G.  churches  in  Upper  Burma 
owes  its  existence  almost  entirely  to  his 
liberality  and  exertions.  I  confess  that  I  felt 
rebuked  when,  a  few  years  ago,  I  baptized  in 
his  house  at  Poungde  three  of  his  children. 
"  Thou  canst  not  tell  whether  shall  prosper 
either  this  or  that,  or  whether  they  both  shall 
be  ahke  good." 

One  other  incident  of  my  sojourn  in  Akyab 

must  be  mentioned.     Some  Chins,  a  hill  tribe 

from  the  Arakan  Yoma  mountains,  canle  into 

the  town  and  sought  me  one  morning.     They 

were    very    scantily    dressed,    their    hair    was 

knotted    over    their  forehead,   and    they  had 

to    speak    by    an    interpreter.       They    said : 

*'  Several  years  ago  some  white  teachers  told 

8i  6 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

us  out  of  a  book  of  the  Great  God  who  rules 
over  all  the  universe  and  orders  our  Hves. 
They  promised  to  teach  us  more  fully,  and 
we  are  most  anxious  to  learn.  Can  you  come 
to  our  hills  and  teach  us  and  our  children  ? 
We  will  take  all  care  of  you,  and  give  you  of 
our  best."  I  was  obliged  to  decline  their 
invitation,  but  promised  to  do  what  I  could 
to  supply  them  with  a  teacher.  But  though 
I  have  frequently  tried,  I  have  never  been 
able  to  send  them  one  to  instruct  them.  Yet 
they  are  our  fellow-subjects,  and  have  been 
so  for  more  than  seventy  years.  But  the 
Church  of  England  has  never  been  able  to  do 
anything  for  them.  Bishop  Titcomb,  indeed, 
wrote  through  Archbishop  Tait  to  the  American 
Church,  begging  their  Bishops  to  take  up  the 
Missions  to  Arakan.  But  that  Church  felt 
itself  unable  to  comply  with  this  request. 
Must  these  hill-people  always  be  neglected  ? 

On  my  arrival  in  Rangoon  my  old  friends 
very  cordially  welcomed  me,  and  gave  me  the 
most  kind  and  valuable  assistance  with  regard 
to  the  new  Mission.  Especially  was  this  the 
case  with  that  noble  ruler.  Sir  Arthur  Purvis 
Phayre,  the  first  Chief  Commissioner  of  British 

82 


BEGINNING  WORK  IN  RANGOON 

Burma.  Under  him  the  three  provinces  had 
just  been  united,  and  the  foundation  laid  of 
that  prosperity  which  has  ever  since  been 
characteristic  of  Burma. 

He  was  a  grand  type  of  the  British  ruler. 
He  loved  the  people  whom  he  governed,  and 
they  reciprocated  his  affection.  He  was  a 
good  Christian  man,  the  helper  and  supporter 
of  every  good  work.  To  myself  personally 
he  was  more  than  a  friend,  ever  ready  with  his 
advice  and  means  to  assist  in  the  Mission. 
The  officiating  Chaplain,  the  Rev.  John 
Clough,  also  gave  me  substantial  help,  as  did 
the  permanent  Chaplain,  the  real  founder  of 
the  Mission,  the  Rev.  H.  W.  Crofton,  on  his 
return  from  furlough.  I  preached  to  a  very 
large  congregation  in  Christ  Church,  Rangoon, 
on  the  first  Sunday  after  my  arrival.  My  text 
was,  *' Thy  kingdom  come,*'  and  I  explained 
the  necessity  and  promises  of  our  Mission  work. 
The  church  is  a  large  iron  structure.  It  used 
to  be  said  of  it  that,  with  a  little  alteration, 
it  would  make  a  capital  goods-shed  for  a  rail- 
way-station, and  that  if  you  closed  the  doors 
and  windows  you  could  bake  bread  in  it  during 
the  middle  of  the  day,  in  the  hottest  months. 

83  6* 


Forty  years  in  burma 

But  the  efforts  of  successive  chaplains  have 
greatly  improved  its  interior,  and  although 
essentially  unsuitable,  it  has  now  a  very 
ecclesiastical  appearance  inside. 

On  the  following  day  we  had  a  well-attended 
public  meeting  under  the  presidency  of  Sir 
A.  Phayre,  who  with  other  speakers  gave  the 
Mission  and  myself  a  very  hearty  welcome. 
Then  for  the  next  few  days  I  went  round  for 
subscriptions.  If  I  have  earned  the  title  of  a 
hardened  beggar,  the  success  which  attended 
my  first  efforts  must  be  pleaded  as  my  excuse. 
I  met  with  nothing  but  the  greatest  kindness 
and  sympathy.  Sir  Arthur  Phayre  headed 
my  subscription  list  with  a  donation  of 
Rs.  500,  and  Rs.  15  per  mensem,  Messrs. 
Gillanders,  Arbuthnot  &  Co.  gave  a  hke 
amount.  In  five  days  over  Rs.  7,000  was 
collected,  including  Rs.  600  from  the  Burmans 
themselves. 

I  had  to  go  to  Maulmein  to  give  over  charge 
to  the  Rev.  H.  B.  Nichols,  from  New  Bruns- 
wick, who  came  full  of  hope  and  energy  to  con- 
tinue the  work.  As  soon  as  possible  I  returned 
to  Rangoon  with  ten  of  my  best  pupils  from 
Maulmein,    to   begin   our  new   Mission   school. 

84 


BEGINNING  WORK  IN  RANGOON 

My  brother  also  came,  as  did  a  bright,  good- 
looking  Madrassi  youth,  named  Kristnasawmy. 
His  father  was  a  commissioned  officer  of  good 
standing  and  repute  in  the  Madras  Army. 
When  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  India,  the 
boy  begged  earnestly  to  be  allowed  to  stay 
with  me.  For  some  time  the  father  refused, 
but  at  length,  on  my  promise  to  look  after  the 
lad  as  my  own  son,  and  not  to  force  or  bribe 
him  to  change  his  religion,  the  Soubadhar  left 
him  in  my  care.  He  was  most  useful  and 
efficient ;  a  better  helper  I  never  had.  It  was 
not  for  several  years  afterwards  that  he  asked 
to  be  received  into  Christ's  fold.  At  his  bap- 
tism by  me  in  Holy  Trinity  pro-cathedral, 
Rangoon,  of  which  I  was  then  minister,  the 
General  commanding  the  province  and  many  of 
the  officers  of  the  garrison  attended  to  witness 
his  reception  into  the  Church.  He  was  after- 
wards the  valued  Headmaster  of  St.  Luke's 
Mission  School,  S.P.G.,  and  was  ordained 
deacon  and  priest  in  1879  and  1881  by  the 
Bishop  of  Rangoon.  The  Rev.  John  Kristna 
was  an  excellent  linguist,  and  preached  with 
acceptance  to  the  British  soldiers  at  Toungoo 
andThayetmyo,  and  to  the  Christian  Madrassis, 

85 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

Telugoos,  Burmese,  and  Karens  in  their  own 
languages.     He  died  in  1898. 

We  began  our  Rangoon  school  on  March 
14th,  1864,  in  a  small  house  called  "  The 
Cottage,'*  near  our  present  premises.  We  paid 
Rs.  100  a  month  for  it.  I  had  one  sitting-room 
and  a  combined  bed  and  bath-room  for  my- 
self ;  other  masters  had  similar  accommoda- 
tion, and  there  was  room  for  about  twenty 
boarders,  and  two  halls  for  day-scholars.  It 
was  the  best  house  that  we  could  then  hire, 
,  but  it  was  terribly  inconvenient.  The  morning 
sun  shone  fiercely  into  my  room,  and  made 
me  feel  ill  and  tired  before  the  day's  work 
was  well  begun. 

The  boarders  soon  got  an  idea  that  the  house 
was  haunted,  and  I  felt  it  to  be  highly  neces- 
sary that  they  should  find  out  the  cause  for 
their  alarm,  or  they  would  assuredly  run  away 
and  injure  our  prospects.  The  lads  complained 
that  they  were  annoyed  by  sounds  of  rapping 
and  knocking  at  the  partition  planks  of  their 
room.  I  promised  to  sit  up  all  night  and  dis- 
cover the  cause,  and  the  boys  went  to  sleep. 
At  dawn,  feehng  that  as  the  night  had  been 

perfectly  quiet    no    ghost    would    disturb    the 

86 


BEGINNING  WORK  IN   RANGOON 

place   that   morning,    I   determined  to   snatch 
an  hour's  sleep,  for  I  was  very  tired,  and  had 
a  heavy  day's  work  before  me.     I  had  scarcely 
thrown   myself  on   my   mat   when   I   heard  a 
shriek  from  the  boys,  followed  by  a  stampede 
from   their  rooms  into   the   compound,   where 
they   stood    together,    big    and    little,    in    real 
terror.     The   rapping  had  recommenced  more 
violently   than   before.     My   assistants   and    I 
proceeded  to  investigate  the  cause,  and  it  was 
not  far  to  seek.     My  dear  little  dog  had  got 
through   a   broken   pane   into   an   almirah,    or 
cupboard  with  glass  doors,  and  to  rid  himself 
of  the  fleas,  with  which  the  floor  was  infested, 
was  scratching  himself  and  knocking  the  stump 
of  his  tail  on  the  shelf.     This  shook  the  glass 
and  the  door,  and  thus  produced  the  dreaded 
noises.     The  little  dog,  apparently  to  convince 
the   boys,    went   through   the   performance   in 
their  presence,  till  they  were  heartily  ashamed 
of  themselves.     But  though  they  never  hked 
me  to  refer  to  this  incident,  I  always  found  them 
remarkably   timid   and   unreasonable   in   such 
matters. 

Older  than  the  Buddhism,  which  is  now  the 
prevailing  religion  of  the  country,   there  was 

87 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

(or  I  ought  to  say  is)  a  superstitious  worship 
and  dread  of  spirits,  or  nats,  good  and  evil, 
who  are  attached  to  trees,  rivers,  mountains 
and  valleys,  and  who  work  benefits  or  troubles 
to  people  in  the  night  and  in  solitariness.  It 
is  a  very  bad  and  exaggerated  form  of  English 
children's  notions  of  fairies  and  bogies. 


y$ 


CHAPTER  VII 

FIRST   FURLOUGH   IN   ENGLAND 

^  I  ^HE  work  of  our  new  school  was  pro- 
^  gressing  very  happily,  but  its  very 
success  brought  us  trouble.  The  pupils  ad- 
mitted and  seeking  admission  were  too  many, 
the  house  was  unsuitable,  the  work  too  much, 
and  I  could  not  get  my  promised  colleague. 
We  were  cheered  by  a  visit  from  the  genial 
and  learned  Archdeacon  Pratt,  who  met  the 
Provisional  Committee  which  I  had  formed 
to  manage  the  large  sums  of  money  entrusted 
to  me,  and  he  gave  us  excellent  advice  as  to 
our  future  work,  especially  as  to  building  new 
and  suitable  premises.  But  a  few  days  after 
he  had  gone  up-country  on  Visitation,  when  all 
things  in  the  Mission  seemed  to  be  so  promising, 
I  was  suddenly  struck  down  with  a  dangerous 
illness.  A  shivering  fit  came  over  me  at  mid- 
day, my  limbs  refused  their  office,  and  I  was 

89 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

carried  out  by  my  boys  to  a  kind  friend's  house 
in  the  Cantonment,  the  part  of  the  town  where 
the  mihtary  hve.  The  doctors  who  were  sum- 
moned said  that  I  was  suffering  from  internal 
abscess  and  that  I  must  be  sent  to  England 
immediately. 

It  was  a  sad  blow,  but  there  was  no  appeal. 
The  Principal  Medical  Officer  of  the  British 
troops  and  the  Civil  Surgeon  concurred  with 
the  other  doctors'  verdict,  only  doubting  if 
I  could  reach  England  alive.  So,  leaving  the 
school  in  the  care  of  the  Chaplain  and  my 
youthful  brother,  I  was  put  on  board  the 
British  India  steamer  for  Calcutta,  thence  to 
proceed  by  the  P.  and  O.  vessel.  My  heart 
was  very  sad,  for  I  was  very  ill  and  troubled. 
Four  officers  put  me  on  board,  and  I  distinctly 
heard  Colonel  Phayre  say  to  the  others  : 
''  Poor  fellow  !  I'm  afraid  that  that  is  the  last 
we  shall  see  of  him,  and  I  did  hope  that  he  was 
good  for  many  years'  work."  (It  is  sad  to 
think  that  all  the  four  kind  officers  are  dead  : 
Colonel  (afterwards  General)  Sir  Arthur  P. 
Phayre,  Captain  (afterwards  Colonel)  Sir  Ed- 
ward   B.    Sladen,    Captain    Craig,    R.A.,    and 

Lieutenant  Bagge,  R.E.) 

90 


FIRST  FURLOUGH  IN  ENGLAND 

I  must  not  omit  to  relate  that  the  sad  news 
of  the  death  of  the  Rev.  H.  B.  Nichols,  who 
had  succeeded  me  in  Maulmein,  reached  us 
a  day  or  two  before  I  left  Burma.  He  had 
dined  with  us  and  Archdeacon  Pratt  only  a 
week  or  two  previously  on  his  return  to  Cal- 
cutta, when  he  seemed  in  perfect  health.  He 
was  married  in  Calcutta,  but  on  his  way 
back  he  was  seized  with  brain  fever,  of 
which  he  died  just  as  he  was  landed  in 
Maulmein. 

In  Calcutta  I  was  treated  with  the  greatest 
kindness  by  the  Rev.  F.  R.  Valhngs  and  by 
Dr.  Francis,  the  Presidency  Surgeon,  who 
warned  me  of  my  danger  and  of  the  imcer- 
tainty  of  my  reaching  England.  But  by  God's 
good  hand  upon  me,  the  crisis  was  passed  soon 
after  we  left  the  Hoogly,  and  on  our  arrival 
at  the  Point  de  Galle  I  was  enabled  to  go 
ashore  and  with  much  help  to  visit  the  S.P.G. 
Mission  at  Buona  Vista.  The  result  of  that 
visit  was  that  my  elder  brother,  the  Rev. 
Philip  Marks,  and  his  devoted  wife  took 
charge  of  that  Mission  the  following  year, 
working  at  it  with  zeal  and  ability  till  their 
health    gave    way    twenty-three    years    after- 

91 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

wards,  when  they  accepted  a  less  arduous  post 
at  TrincomaH. 

The  officers  and  passengers  were  all  very 
kind  to  me,  and  amongst  the  latter  I  made 
many  friends. 

Amongst  others,  I  had  the  great  pleasure  of 
making  the  acquaintance  of  Dr.  Druitt,  the 
learned  author  of  the  "  Surgeon's  Vade 
Mecum,"  which  has  gone  through  many  edi- 
tions, and  is  still  a  text-book  with  the  pro- 
fession. He  had  been  in  attendance  upon  the 
late  Lord  Hobart,  Governor  of  Madras,  until 
his  death.  From  Dr.  Druitt  I  received  valu- 
able hints  which  have  been  of  great  service 
to  me  in  regulating  my  life  in  the  East. 

Another  of  my  fellow-passengers  was  Lieu- 
tenant George  Hope  Lloyd  Verney,  of  the 
Rifle  Brigade,  who  was  exceedingly  kind  and 
useful  to  me,  invalid  as  I  was,  and  laid  the 
foundation  of  a  lasting  friendship  which  has 
continued  unbroken  till  the  present  day. 

Another  distinguished  acquaintance  that  I 
made  was  that  of  M.  de  Lesseps,  the  celebrated 
engineer  of  the  Suez  Canal,  then  in  course  of 
completion.  The  kindness  and  assistance  of 
these    and   other    fellow-passengers    made    my 

92 


FIRST  FURLOUGH  IN  ENGLAND 

Voyage  through  the  Mediterranean  easy  and 
comfortable,  and  my  reception  at  home  seemed 
to  inspire  me  with  such  vigour  and  hfe  that  in 
the  first  few  days  of  my  return  I  wished  imme- 
diately to  go  back  to  Burma. 

But  I  was  soon  undeceived.  A  few  minutes' 
walk  told  me  of  my  weakness  and  of  troubles 
which  required  careful  medical  treatment,  so 
that  I  was  compelled,  sorely  against  my  will, 
to  rest  awhile.  Invitations  came  to  me  from 
friends  whom  I  had  known  or  who  had  known 
of  my  work  in  India  and  Burma,  but  I  found 
that,  go  where  I  would,  their  cry  was  :  ''  You 
must  rest  as  much  as  possible,  but  do  give  us 
one  or  two  serrhons  !  *'  And  this,  not  alone 
in  village  and  town  churches,  but  in  St. 
Mary's,  Oxford,  and  several  cathedrals.  Fre- 
quently, with  every  desire  to  please  my  kind 
hosts,  I  had  scarcely  strength  to  mount  the 
pulpits  or  carry  out  other  arrangements,  and 
yet  I  felt  that  I  was  doing  good  service,  not 
only  for  Missions  in  general,  but  for  Burma 
in  particular. 

I  visited  for  the  first  time  St.  Augustine's 
College,  Canterbury,  and  deeply  thankful  have 
I  been  ever  since  for  that  visit  and  its  results. 

93 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

I  was  very  weak  from  my  illness  and  in  agony 
with  sciatica,  and  I  must  have  presented  a 
sorry  figure  as  I  lamely  walked  up  the  hall 
leaning  on  the  arm  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Bailey,  the 
Warden,  past  the  ranks  of  the  students,  who 
regarded  me  with  pity  and  curiosity. 

In  spite  of  my  pain,  I  could  not  help  laughing 
at  the  idea  that  I  was  like  a  wounded  soldier 
trying  to  induce  men  to  go  to  the  seat  of  war. 
Nothing  could  exceed  the  kindness  of  the 
good  Warden  and  his  colleagues.  In  the 
evening  I  gave  an  address  to  the  students  in 
Hall.  I  stood  by  the  big  fire  and  felt  much 
better.  I  am  free  to  confess  that  I  pleaded 
the  cause  of  our  Burma  Mission  with  an 
earnestness  that  I  had  never  experienced 
before. 

I  had  prayed  for  help  and  guidance  in  this 
effort,  and  felt  that  my  prayer  was  answered. 
The  students  were  enthusiastic,  and  the 
Warden  assured  me  that  I  should  obtain 
recruits.  The  next  day  I  had  much  private 
conversation  with  the  students  about  Burma 
and  India.  As  I  was  sitting  in  the  Warden's 
room,  a  student  came  in  to  transact  some 
business  wdth  him.     When  he  left  the  Warden 

94 


FIRST  FURLOUGH  IN  ENGLAND 

said  :  '*  That  is  Fairclough,  and  if  you  can 
get  him  you  will  get  our  best  man/' 

He  asked  Mr.  Fairclough  to  show  me  St. 
Martin's  Church,  and  while  there  I  begged 
him  to  come  out  with  me.  He  confessed  that 
he  would  greatly  like  to  do  so  but  for  one 
objection,  which  I  was  able  to  remove.  As 
we  were  going  through  the  workshops  the 
next  day,  the  Warden  pointed  out  a  student 
who  was  stooping  down  to  a  piece  of  carpenter- 
ing, and  whispered :  ''  That  is  Warren,  a 
capital  second  year  man."  So  I  put  my 
hand  on  his  shoulder  and  said  :  '*  Warren,  will 
you  come  to  Burma  ?  "  He  answered  at  once 
with  a  smile  :  *'  Yes,  certainly,  when  my  time 
comes."  The  joy  and  thankfulness  of  that 
visit  have  never  left  me.  The  Church  in 
Burma  owes  a  deep  debt  of  gratitude  to  St. 
Augustine's  College,  Canterbury.  Many  of  its 
clergy  and  one  of  its  bishops  (the  Right  Rev. 
Bishop  Strachan)  have  received  their  training 
there. 

My  friend  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kay  had  left  India 
and  returned  to  Oxford,  where  he  most  kindly 
received  me  and  most  earnestly  desired  me  to 
husband  my  health  and  to  accumulate  power 

95 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

for  future  work  in  the  Mission  field.  Again 
and  again  I  forgot  the  sage  aphorism,  *'  A 
man  can't  do  more  than  he  can/'  and  I  did  so 
to  my  cost.  The  Society's  physician  was 
Dr.  George  Budd,  one  of  a  noble  band  of 
brothers,  kind,  considerate  and  sympathetic. 
But  he  took  a  very  gloomy  view  of  my  con- 
dition, which  did  not  improve  after  repeated 
visits  to  him.  His  patience  at  last  seemed 
on  the  point  of  exhaustion  when  he  said  tp 
me  :  *'  I  willingly  give  my  services  free  to  your 
Society,  and  if  I  thought  that  there  was  any 
hope  for  your  recovery,  I  would  continue  to 
receive  your  visits  ;  but,  as  you  perceive,  my 
time  is  valuable,  and  it  is  useless  for  me  to  hold 
out  any  encouragement  to  you.  Candidly,  I 
consider  that  you  will  never  be  fit  to  return  to 
Burma  again." 

It  was  a  heavy  blow,  but  I  would  not  give 
up  hope.  I  asked  him  to  afford  me  a  final 
interview  at  the  end  of  a  month.  During  that 
interval  I  ascertained  that  he  had  what  we 
call  in  India  a  shoke,  a  bias,  for  filtration  of 
drinking  water,  and  that  he  was  especially 
interested  in  a  well-known  filter. 

I  thought  that  I  could  work  upon  that  and 
96 


FIRST  FURLOUGH  IN  ENGLAND 

I  was  not  mistaken.  At  the  appointed  time 
I  paid  my  visit,  and  said  that  I  attributed 
much  of  my  trouble  to  the  bad  unfiltered  water 
that  I  had  been  drinking  in  Burma.  *'  I  notice 
that  you  have  a  pecuHar  filter,  such  as  I 
should  like  to  take  with  me  on  my  return.  I 
am  sure  that  it  would  be  of  great  benefit  to  me 
in  Burma,  and  its  introduction  would  be  a 
boon  to  the  other  Europeans  in  the  country.'' 

He  caught  the  bait  and  proceeded  to  give  me 
a  long  description  of  the  patent  filter,  telling 
me  where  I  could  procure  it.  He  concluded 
by  saying  :  *'  I  see  that  you  are  determined 
to  go  back,  and  though  I  cannot  give  you  a 
certificate  to  show  that  you  are  fit,  I  will  not 
oppose  your  going  on  your  own  responsibility.*' 
That  was  all  I  wanted,  and  after  thanking  him 
heartily  for  his  patient  endurance  of  my  per- 
sistence, with  a  glad  and  thankful  heart,  I  went 
off  to  the  S.P.G.  ofiice  to  convey  the  good  news 
to  my  friends  the  secretaries. 

I  met  the  assistant  secretary,  who,  rejoicing 
with  me,  said  :  ''  Did  you  notice  a  young  man 
leaving  as  you  entered  ?  "  On  my  replying 
in  the  affirmative,  he  said  :  ''  That  was  the 
Hon.  Charles  Wood,  who  has  been  to  offer  his 

97  7 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

services  to  the  Society*s  home  work.  I  told 
him  that  at  present  we  had  no  opening,  but 
would  gratefully  remember  his  kind  offer." 
He  was  afterwards  Viscount  Halifax,  the  well- 
known  President  of  the  E.C.U. 

The  Society  was  at  that  time  deeply  tied  up 
in  red  tape,  but  let  me  say  that  though  I  have 
felt  and  regretted  this  defect  during  my  fifty- 
five  years'  connection  with  it,  I  have  never 
experienced  anything  but  extreme  kindness, 
courtesy  and  affection  from  its  officials.  Not 
one  unpleasant  word  has  been  addressed  to  me 
during  the  whole  of  that  time. 

One  other  incident  of  my  sojourn  at  home 
must  be  related.  With  all  his  kindness  to  the 
Mission  and  to  myself,  Colonel  Phayre  persis- 
tently refused  to  grant  us  a  piece  of  land 
whereon  to  erect  schools  and  Mission  premises 
in  Rangoon.  The  Baptists  and  Roman 
Catholics  as  well  as  the  Buddhists  had  ob- 
tained large  grants  either  freely  or  at  nominal 
prices,  but  we  could  not  get  any.  A  similar 
difficulty  had  occurred  in  Maulmein.  The 
local  government  refused,  and  the  Govern- 
ment of  India  supported  the  objection,  but 
the   Secretary   of   State   for   India  in   London 

98 


FIRST  FURLOUGH  IN  ENGLAND 

reversed  their  decision,  and  granted  us  twenty- 
five  acres  of  freehold  land. 

With  this  precedent  I  appealed  against 
Colonel  Phayre's  refusal  to  Sir  John  Lawrence, 
the  Governor-General.  But  with  all  his  well- 
known  desire  to  help  missionary  work.  His 
Excellency  felt  compelled  also  to  refuse.  Being 
in  London,  I  resolved,  with  the  Society's 
sanction,  to  appeal  to  the  Hon.  Charles  Wood 
to  do  for  us  in  Rangoon  as  he  had  done  before 
in  Maulmein.  With  Mr.  Wigram,  Q.C.,  one  of 
the  Standing  Committee,  I  had  a  long  and 
pleasant  interview  with  the  Secretary  of  State 
for  India.  Mr.  Wood  was  very  courteous  and 
kind,  but  firm  in  his  refusal.  He  said  that  we 
might  have  one  acre  free  whereon  to  build  a 
church,  and  as  much  more  as  the  local  govern- 
ment pleased  at  the  upset  price.  This  was  a 
great  concession,  as  the  event  has  proved,  and 
with  this  we  had  to  be  content. 

The  education  of  girls  is  all  but  neglected 
by  the  Burmese.  But  they  had  shown  them- 
selves willing  to  entrust  their  girls  to  our  care 
if  we  had  the  teachers  to  instruct  them.  My 
efforts  to  obtain  such  teachers  in  Rangoon  had 
not  been  successful,   and  it  appeared  as  if  I 

99  7* 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

must  fail  also  in  England.  But  shortly  before 
I  left,  the  Rev.  Sir  James  E.  Philipps,  of  War- 
minster, introduced  to  me  a  young  lady  who 
was  well  qualified  and  willing  to  go  out  to 
Burma  and  superintend  an  S.P.G.  Girls*  School 
in  Rangoon.  The  Society  gladly  accepted  her 
services.  I  also  secured  an  assistant  trained 
and  certificated  schoolmaster,  Mr.  R.  Raw- 
lings,  to  help  me  in  Burma. 

This,  then,  was  the  party  :  Miss  Cooke  for 
Rangoon,  another  lady  for  Singapore,  Mr. 
John  Fairclough,  Mr.  R.  Rawlings,  and  myself, 
who  met  for  a  dismissal  service  in  January, 
1866,  in  the  Society's  House  in  Pall  Mall,  the 
farewell  address  being  given  by  the  Bishop  of 
Oxford,  the  Right  Rev.  S.  Wilberforce.  The- 
others  went  before  me  by  a  saihng  vessel,  and 
I  returned  by  the  P.  and  O.,  no  longer  an 
invalid,  though  not  very  strong.  I  enjoyed 
the  voyage  greatly.  We  had  daily  service  on 
board,  attended  at  first  by  few,  but  as  the 
voyage  proceeded  by  almost  all  the  passengers. 
At  Galle  I  was  able  to  tell  the  Cingalese 
Christians  and  other  members  of  the  Mission 
that  my  brother  and  sister  were  on  their  way 

to  take  over  charge  of  the  Mission  and  Church 

100 


FIRST  FURLOUGH  IN  ENGLAND 

Work  in  that  station.  Although  I  had  kind 
letters  of  introduction  to  the  Bishop  and  the 
Governor  of  Madras  from  their  respective 
brothers,  I  was  unable  to  land  there,  nor  have 
I  ever  been  able  to  visit  that  city,  though  I 
have  passed  it  several  times. 


loi 


CHAPTER  VIII 

RETURN   TO   RANGOON 

/^N  my  arrival  in  Calcutta  I  found  that 
^-^  Bishop  Cotton  was  still  up  country 
on  Visitation,  so  I  went  on  to  Rangoon  for  a 
few  weeks,  returning  to  meet  him  on  his  arrival 
at  Calcutta. 

On  my  return  to  Rangoon  I  found  that  the 
work  had  almost  to  be  begun  over  again.  My 
locum  tenens,  the  Rev.  C.  A.  Berry,  had  not 
lived  in  the  Mission  House,  and  the  teachers 
and  pupils  were  disheartened,  and  much  of  the 
Mission  property  had  been  lost.  Mr.  Fair- 
clough  and  Miss  Cooke  and  Mr.  Rawlings 
arrived,  and  though  at  first  we  all  had  to 
rough  it,  we  soon  got  things  in  order.  We 
soon  had  our  school  full  of  boarders  and 
day  scholars,  as  many  as  w^e  could  receive. 
We  used  the  veranda  as  a  sort  of  chapel.     For 

102 


KErURN  TO  RANGOON 

the  girls'  school  we  rented  a  house  in  the 
vicinity,  and  we  soon  saw  how  suitable  a 
person  we  had  obtained  in  Miss  Cooke.  She 
evidently  loved  her  work  and  her  pupils,  and 
they  loved  her,  and  she  led  them  gently  and 
steadily  to  love  their  Saviour,  and  to  be  fit 
for  Holy  Baptism. 

The  work,  however,  needed  more  vigour 
than  I  possessed.  Dr.  Kay  had  constantly 
advised  me  to  lay  up  a  large  store  of  health 
and  strength.  I  had  not  been  able  to  do  so, 
and  more  than  once  I  doubted  whether,  after 
all,  I  ought  to  have  returned.  I  had  very 
serious  attacks  of  depression,  which  is  not 
particularly  pleasant  for  a  schoolmaster. 
But  again  the  promise  continually  recurred  : 
'*  Lo  !  I  am  with  you  always,''  and  it  upheld 
me  even  in  the  darkest  hours. 

Financial  difficulties  pressed  heavily  upon 
me.  Finance  was  ever  my  weak  spot,  and, 
knowing  this,  I  had  very  early  accepted  the 
assistance  of  the  agent  of  the  only  bank  then 
in  Rangoon.  I  had  previously  followed  the 
almost  universal  practice  of  depending  upon 
one  of  the  largest  firms  for  pecuniary  accom- 
modation.    But  my  bank  friend  most  kindly 

103 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

undertook  the  business  and  so  greatly  relieved 
me. 

During  my  days  of  illness,  however,  before  I 
went  to  England  matters  fell  into  much  con- 
fusion. I  could  not  remember  what  I  had  done 
with  considerable  sums  of  money.  I  knew 
that  I  had  received  them,  but  how  I  had  dis- 
posed of  them  caused  me  the  greatest  anxiety 
and  many  wakeful  nights.  Meanwhile  people 
were  pressing  for  payment,  and  though  the 
amount  was  not  large,  it  was  more  than  I  could 
meet  from  my  personal  salary,  which  was  very 
small.  I  was  at  my  wit's  end,  and  at  last 
called  the  principal  creditor,  who  most  kindly 
undertook  to  accept  one-half  of  my  salary 
every  month  in  payment  of  the  debt. 

The    arrangement    left    me    miserably    poor 

and  actually  in  want,  and  I  felt  that  a  few 

months  of  this  trouble  would  inevitably  bring 

me   to   the   point   of   collapse.     I   am   free   to 

confess  that  I  made  this  matter,  not   for   the 

first  and  only  time  in  my  missionary  life,  the 

subject  of  earnest  prayer,   and  I   arose    from 

my  knees  encouraged  and  heartened,   to  put 

the  best  face  I  could  upon  my  worries  before 

school  assembled. 

104 


RETURN  TO  RANGOON 

As  I  was  dressing,  in  a  moment  the  whole 
situation  flashed  upon  my  memory.  I  recol- 
lected that  as  each  sum  had  come  in,  I  had 
handed  it  over  to  the  kind  treasurer  whom  I 
had  not  met  since  my  return.  I  at  once  called 
my  gharri^  and  went  off  to  see  him.  The  bank 
of  which  he  had  been  manager  had  assured  me 
that  there  were  no  funds  standing  in  my 
name  or  in  that  of  the  Mission.  But  he  had 
become  manager  of  another  bank,  which  he 
had  started  during  my  furlough,  and  to  this 
new  bank  he  had  transferred  all  my  moneys. 
It  was  a  marvellous  relief.  I  did  not  tell  him 
how  much  I  had  suffered  in  consequence.  He 
continued  for  several  years  our  kind  and  effi- 
cient treasurer  and  I  had  no  such  worry  again. 

The  absolute  necessity  of  finding  better 
premises  for  the  Mission  school  and  my  own 
and  colleagues*  residence  was  forced  upon  me. 
I  felt  that  we  were  in  the  right  quarter  of 
Rangoon  on  high  and  open  ground ;  but  house 
accommodation  was  very  scarce. 

Fortunately  Woodlands,  a  large  house,  which 

had   been    the    residence    of   several   heads   of 

departments,  who,  I  need    not  say,  were  our 

local  aristocracy,  became  vacant,  and  I  was 

105 


FORl'Y  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

advised  by  several  friends  to  secure  it  But 
no  measure  of  the  kind  could  be  expected  to  be 
executed  without  criticism,  and  that  where  it 
might  be  least  expected,  amongst  friends  of  the 
Mission,  who  were  alarmed  at  my  ambitious 
schemes. 

I  was  told  that  I  had  swollen  head  and  that 
my  success  had  made  me  proud.  But  after 
full  consideration  with  the  Chief  Commissioner, 
Major-General  Albert  Fytche,  I  determined 
to  secure  Woodlands,  with  its  ample  grounds, 
large  rooms  and  ugly  exterior.  Instantly  the 
success  of  the  school  was  assured.  Pupils 
from  all  parts  of  Burma  crowded  into  the  new 
premises,  proud  to  find  themselves  in  such 
excellent  quarters.  It  was  from  this  trans- 
action that  I  may  date  the  success  of  our 
Rangoon  school. 

Several  of  my  old  Burmese  assistants  came 
to  my  help,  and  I  had,  moreover,  the  valued 
co-operation  of  colleagues  from  St.  Augustine's 
College,  Canterbury,  the  Revs.  Fairclough, 
Warren  and  Chard,  all  ordained  at  Calcutta  for 
work  in  the  Mission  as  my  colleagues. 

But  with  this  staff  I  had  a  large  accession  of 
duties,  congenial,  but  outside  my  missionary 

1 06 


RETURN  TO  RANGOON 

work.  First  of  all,  I  must  mention  that 
at  Bishop  Cotton's  order,  I  assumed  the 
chaplaincy  pro  tern.,  until  his  lordship's 
approaching  visit  to  Burma,  of  the  beautiful 
little  Town  Church  of  Holy  Trinity  on  the 
river  bank.  It  had  been  built  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Rev.  H.  W.  Crofton,  after  the 
designs  of  Pugin,  and  was  a  gem  in  its  way, 
and  the  people  of  Rangoon  were  very  proud 
of  it. 

It  could  not  be  but  that  with  the  consider- 
able duties  which  fell  to  the  single  Govern- 
ment Chaplain's  lot  in  connection  with  the 
civil  and  military  population,  the  missionary 
staff  should  give  assistance  at  the  Town  Church 
and  in  the  district. 

But  the  employment  of  missionaries  as 
Assistant  Chaplains  had  been  vetoed,  both 
by  the  Indian  and  the  Home  Government, 
in  the  time  of  Bishop  Wilson,  and,  therefore, 
additional  clergy  were  appointed,  who  received 
a  small  monthly  allowance  in  addition  to  the 
salary  which  they  received  from  the  missionary 
society  which  employed  them.  This  scheme 
was  at  work  in  India,  but  had  not  as  yet  been 
introduced    into    Burma.     But,    in    the    great 

107 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

dearth  of  chaplains,  Bishop  Cotton  directed  me 
to  undertake  the  charge,  and  gave  me  direc- 
tions as  to  what  to  do  and  what  to  avoid, 
carefully  safeguarding  the  prerogatives  of  the 
Government  Chaplain. 

But  when  this  was  known  in  Rangoon,  our 
Chaplain  felt  it  his  duty  to  raise  a  storm  of 
objections,  and  got  up  a  petition  signed  by 
several  leading  townsmen  complaining  that 
whereas  they  had  been  promised  a  whole 
chaplain  for  the  town,  they  were  being  put  off 
with  half  a  missionary  !  I  intimated  to  the 
Bishop,  that  if  his  plan  were  not  carried  out, 
he  must  release  me  from  further  English 
services  in  Rangoon,  as  the  extra  stipend  that 
I  was  to  receive  went  to  the  maintenance  of 
one  of  my  colleagues. 

His  lordship  wrote  back  a  very  conciliatory 
letter,  saying  that  his  plan  was  only  temporary, 
until  another  Chaplain  or  A.C.S.  man  could 
be  appointed,  which  he  hoped  would  be 
shortly,  after  his  next  Visitation  of  Burma 
during  the  approaching  cold  weather.  This 
letter  changed  the  whole  aspect  of  things. 
The  Chaplain  recognized  that  without  the 
co-operation  of  the  missionary  staff  he  could 

io8 


RETURN  TO  RANGOON 

not  carry  on  the  double  duties  of  cantonment 
and  town  work  in  Rangoon,  and  he  gladly  fell 
in  with  the  Bishop's  plan  and  the  petition  was 
withdrawn. 

I  look  upon  my  services  at  the  Town  Church 
as  one  of  the  happiest  parts  of  my  life.  The 
services  were  of  a  type  hitherto  unknown  in 
Burma.  We  had  a  surpliced  choir  of  boys 
under  excellent  training,  and  of  gentlemen  of 
good  musical  ability  who  gave  their  services 
gratuitously,  and  of  a  very  talented  lady 
organist. 

The  proposal  to  put  the  choir  into  surplices 
was  supposed  to  be  our  first  Romeward  ten- 
dency, and  excited  a  letter  of  protest,  which 
was  to  be  presented  to  Bishop  Cotton  on  his 
arrival.  My  friend  Mr.  Connell  remarked, 
with  regard  to  this  protest,  ''  that  we  need  not 
wait  till  Cotton  came  down,  as  it  was  cheap 
enough  in  Rangoon  already  !  " 

Alas  !  Bishop  Cotton's  visit  was  never  paid. 
He  had  always  been  deeply  interested  in 
Burma,  and  in  his  primary  Charge  he  ex- 
pressed his  strong  opinion  that  this  Province 
ought    to    be    separated    from    Calcutta,    and 

that  a  Bishop  with  the  gift  of  tongues  should 

109 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

be  appointed.  He  was  to  come  to  us  for  the 
consecration  of  the  Town  Church,  when  sud- 
denly, on  Saturday,  October  13th,  1866,  I  re- 
ceived a  telegram  from  Mr.  Barton,  of  the 
C.M.S.  in  Calcutta  :  **  Bishop  Cotton  drowned 
at  Kooshtea.  Body  not  found."  He  had 
been  on  Visitation  in  Assam,  and  on 
October  6th  had  been  consecrating  a  ceme- 
tery, when,  returning  in  the  dark,  ac- 
companied only  by  a  servant  carrying  a 
lantern  and  his  robe  bag,  he  was  crossing 
to  the  river  steamer  by  a  single  plank  from 
a  barge,  when  the  servant  heard  a  splash, 
looked  round,  and  the  Bishop  had  gone  ! 

Though  his  two  chaplains,  Messrs.  Hardy 
and  Vallings,  dived  into  the  water  immediately 
and  searched  about  in  the  swift  current,  no 
trace  of  his  body  was  ever  found.  Mrs.  Cotton 
and  their  daughter  were  awaiting  the  Bishop's 
return  for  dinner  on  board  the  steamer.  The 
news  was  telegraphed  all  over  India,  and  the 
Government,  in  an  appreciative  note  on  his 
Hfe,  declared  that  it  was  the  greatest  blow 
which  the  Church  in  India  had  received. 

I  shall  not  easily  forget  the  expression  of 
deep  sorrow  and  regret  that  prevailed  in  church 

no 


RETURN  TO  RANGOON 

next  morning  when  I  announced  to  our  large 
congregation  that  the  Bishop  had  met  an 
untimely  end.  I  preached  on  Hebrews  xiii., 
7  and  8.  Bishop  Cotton  had  improved  during 
his  residence  in  India.  His  coldness  and 
schoolmaster  attitude  seemed  to  have  given 
way  to  affectionate  earnestness  and  kindness. 
Those  who  knew  him  best  loved  him  most. 

Dr.  Robert  Milman,  a  cousin  of  Lord  Salis- 
bury, was  the  new  Bishop.  He  had  been  well 
known  previously  as  a  Vicar  of  Lambourne 
and  Wantage,  where  he  had  done  a  great  deal 
to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  boys  and  young 
men  employed  in  the  stables.  He  was,  more- 
over, a  learned  scholar,  especially  in  languages. 
In  manner  he  was  a  complete  contrast  to  his 
predecessors,  Wilson  and  Cotton,  as  he  was 
most  genial  and  witty. 

He  lost  no  time  in  visiting  Burma,  and  in 

May,    1867,    accompanied    by    his    sister,    he 

came  to  us  in  the  height  of  the  monsoon.     They 

encountered  very  bad  weather,  and  were  four 

days  instead  of  two  from  Akyab  to  Rangoon  ; 

but  their  welcome  to  Burma  was  very  real  and 

hearty,  and  the  time  spent  at  the  Mission  was 

very  profitable  to  us  all.     Holy  Trinity  Church 

III 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

was  consecrated,  Lieutenant  H.  R.  Spearman 
acting  as  registrar. 

I  accompanied  the  Bishop  in  his  special 
steamer  up  the  Irrawaddy  to  Thayetmyo,  our 
then  frontier  station,  where  he  preached  to 
the  Enghsh  garrison  and  performed  a  mar- 
riage. At  every  stopping-place — and  the 
vessel  only  goes  by  daylight — he  saw  crowds 
of  children,  who  appeared  to  be  amphibious. 
He  was  greatly  interested,  and  desired  me  to 
do  my  very  utmost  to  establish  branch  Mission- 
schools  at  all  the  principal  towns  on  that 
noble  river.  Miss  Milman  in  her  biography 
says  :  "  From  that  time  he  began  to  feel  a 
deep  interest  in  the  Burmese,  '  the  kindly  and 
honest  people  who  like  the  English  and  are 
liked  by  them.*  '*  As  soon  as  the  Bishop  had 
left  us  I  began  to  think  of  carrying  out  his 
wishes.  I  could  safely  leave  St.  John's  to  the 
care  of  the  Revs.  J.  Fairclough  and  C.  Warren. 
Mr.  Rawlings  had  been  sent  to  strengthen  the 
S.P.G.  work  at  Maulmein  under  the  Rev. 
R.  Evans,  and  afterwards  the  Rev.  J.  Fair- 
clough. 

Henzada  was  the  first  place  of  importance 
on   the   Irrawaddy.     It  was  the  headquarters 

112 


RETURN  TO  RANGOON 

of  a  district  containing  seventy-five  thousand 
Burmans.  The  Government  steam  vessels  and 
flats  had  just  been  sold  to  the  Irrawaddy 
Flotilla  Company,  which,  from  small  begin- 
nings, has  prospered  wonderfully.  To  our 
Mission  and  to  me  personally  the  managers 
have  always  been  the  kindest  and  most  liberal 
of  friends.  I  can  hardly  speak  too  gratefully 
of  their  unvarying  and  unwearied  generosity 
and  goodness. 

General  Albert  Fytche  kindly  gave  me  an 
order  to  visit  Henzada  as  Chaplain,  and  to  stay 
there  ten  days  at  Government  cost.  The  Flotilla 
allowed  me  to  take  a  lot  of  my  tame  pupils, 
and  desks,  forms,  maps,  books,  etc.,  to  begin  a 
school.  We  arrived  off  the  town  on  a  stormy 
rainy  night,  and  got  wet  through  before  reach- 
ing the  Government  Circuit  House,  where  we 
had  to  stay.  The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and 
we  had  two  services  for  the  English-speaking 
Christians,  and  collections  for  our  new  school. 
All  gave  very  hberally.  The  Burman  magis- 
trate offered  every  assistance,  but  I  feared  to 
accept  it  lest  I  might  appear  to  be  compelling 
the  people  to  help. 

On     the     Monday     morning     we     went     in 
113  8 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

search  of  a  house,  and  with  great  difficulty 
found  one,  not  a  good  or  clean  place,  but 
the  only  one  available.  My  boys  and  I 
worked  at  it  in  the  pouring  rain,  washing  it 
thoroughly,  and  bridging  the  deep  ditch  that 
separated  it  from  the  road,  and  which  was  full 
of  water.  We  were  very  wet,  tired,  and 
hungry  when  at  night-fall  we  returned  to  the 
Circuit  House,  and  I  felt  feverish  and  low- 
spirited.  But  early  next  morning  we  got  up 
and  went  to  begin  school.  We  found  many 
intending  pupils  and  their  mothers  in  the  road, 
but  the  heavy  rain  in  the  night  had  swollen 
the  little  river,  our  bridge  was  washed  away, 
and  the  water  was  up  to  our  proposed  school- 
room floor.  Whilst  waiting  anxiously,  and 
thinking  what  we  should  do,  my  friend 
Moung  Kyaw  Doon,  the  Extra  Assistant  Com- 
missioner, came  along,  and  at  once  solved 
the  problem  by  putting  a  very  suitable  house 
(his  own  property)  at  our  disposal,  free  of 
rent,  for  half  a  year.  In  less  than  an  hour  we 
had  got  our  furniture  arranged,  and  the 
Christian  boys  joined  us  in  a  prayer  in  Bur- 
mese for  God's  blessing  on  the  new  under- 
taking. 

114 


RETURN  TO  RANGOON 

We  began  school  and  worked  very  happily 
during  the  ten  days  of  my  stay.  Subscrip- 
tions and  donations  came  in  Hberally,  a 
local  treasurer  was  appointed,  and  the  school 
prospered  for  many  years.  It  was  shortly 
afterwards  removed  to  a  new  building,  erected 
by  local  subscriptions  and  Government  grants, 
and  was  then  called  St.  Peter^s  S.P.G.  School. 
Very  many  happy  days  have  I  spent  in  Hen- 
zada  school.  The  best  masters  were  Samuel 
Moung  Ee,  from  Maulmein,  James  Simon,  after- 
wards head-master  of  the  Government  Normal 
School,  Maulmein,  and  James  Charles.  The 
Director  of  Public  Instruction  spoke  of  it  as 
**  the  best  second-class  school  in  Burma." 

Having  been  appointed  Government  Chaplain 
of  the  Irrawaddy  Stations,  on  being  relieve(^ 
by  the  Rev.  W.  West  of  the  care  of  the  Ran- 
goon Town  Church,  I  was  enabled  to  visit 
Henzada  and  other  places  on  the  river  regu- 
larly and  without  cost  to  the  Mission.  Our 
best  boys  from  St.  Peter's  were  sent  to  com- 
plete their  education  at  St.  John's  College, 
Rangoon,  the  Flotilla  managers  most  kindly 
allowing  all  our  pupils  to  travel  at  half  fares. 
Sir    Rivers   Thompson,    Sir   Charles   Aitchison 

115  S* 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

and  Sir  Charles  Bernard,  successive  Chief  Com- 
missioners,   visited    the    school    and    reported 
most    favourably    concerning   it.     Bishop   Tit- 
comb,    the    first    Bishop    of    Rangoon,    spent 
much  time  at  St.  Peter's,  and  testified  that  it 
was    ''  a    first-rate     S.P.G.    Mission    School.'' 
After  his  resignation  I  ceased  to  be  Chaplain 
of  the  Irrawaddy  Stations,  and  became  Chap- 
lain of  Tavoy  and  Mergui,  and  my  official  con- 
nection with  St.  Peter's  was  ended,  and  after 
twenty-three  years  of  useful  work  the  school 
was  closed,  and  the  buildings  were  sold  in  1890. 
I  next  went  on  to  Myan-aung,  then  the  head- 
quarters of  the  district  of  that  name.     It  is 
a  long,  scattered  town,  the  Europeans'  houses 
being   built    on    the   bank   of   the   Irrawaddy, 
which  is  here  broad  and  deep,   and  in  flood 
time  is  continually  encroaching  on  the  town, 
in  spite  of  the  embankments  which  the  Govern- 
ment   at    enormous    cost    erect    and    keep    in 
repair.     The  people  here  gladly  welcomed  me. 
In  a  few  days  v/e  had  raised  over  a  thousand 
rupees,    enough    to    start    our    school    in    a 
wooden  house  which  was  lent  to  us  in  the  Bur- 
mese  quarter.     A   Burmese   Christian    master 
from  St.  John's  was  appointed,  and  he  began 

116 


RETURN  TO  RANGOON 

well.  In  a  short  time  the  Education  Depart- 
ment gave  us  another  Rs.  i,ooo,  and  with  the 
Rs.  2,000  we  bought  a  large  and  excellent 
house  for  our  school. 

The  people  here  were  not  so  zealous 
for  education  as  were  those  of  Henzada, 
and  I  always  had  difficulties  with  the 
Myan-aung  school,  especially  after  the  place 
ceased  to  be  the  headquarters  of  the  district 
and  many  of  the  European  officials  removed 
elsewhere.  After  eleven  years*  existence 
the  school  was  burned  down  through  the 
carelessness  of  the  master  in  charge.  The 
Society's  property  there  has  recently  been 
sold,  and  no  effort  has  since  been  made  to 
revive  S.P.G.  work  in  that  station,  though  we 
have  had  many  pupils  at  St.  John's  from  the 
town  and  district. 

I  must  tell  about  our  school  at  Zalun,  a 
township  of  4,600  inhabitants,  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Irrawaddy.  The  people  were 
very  anxious  to  have  an  S.P.G.  school 
there,  and  the  elders  came  to  me  to  Henzada 
begging  me  to  come  to  their  township  and 
promising  every  assistance.  I  went  in  a  Bur- 
mese   boat,   for  Zalun  is    down-stream.      The 

117 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

Burmans  welcomed  me  gladly  and  hospitably, 
and  for  a  fortnight  I  hved  among  them  as 
their  guest,  eating  only  Burmese  food  in 
native  fashion.  Honestly  I  cannot  say  that 
I  liked  it  or  enjoyed  it.  It  takes  a  long  ap- 
prenticeship to  discard  with  pleasure  knife 
and  fork  and  spoon  and  other  accessories  of 
European  habits.  But  my  hosts  were  all 
kindness,  and  did  their  very  best  to  make 
me  comfortable. 

They  turned  the  Buddhist  Hpongyis  and  their 
following  out  of  a  large  monastery,  or  kyoung^ 
on  the  Lamaing  road,  had  it  thoroughly 
cleaned  and  altered  to  my  plans,  and  then 
gave  it  to  me  for  an  S.P.G.  school.  I  had 
my  master  Moung  Henry  ready  and  we  began 
work.  For  a  time  the  school  did  well,  but  after 
I  went  to  Mandalay  and  Mr.  Warren  went  to 
Toungoo  and  our  Mission  work  extended, 
the  European  labourers  were  so  few  that  the 
school  suffered  from  lack  of  adequate  super- 
vision. The  town  also  suffered  severely  from 
flood  and  fire,  and  so  the  school  languished 
and  died. 

The  last  and  hardest  of  the  river  schools  was 
Thayetmyo.      This    was    a    frontier    military 

1X8 


RETURN  TO  RANGOON 

station  having  half  a  European  regiment,  a 
battery  of  artillery,  besides  Madras  sepoys. 
The  natives  lived  in  the  southern  half  of  the 
town  and  consisted  of  a  very  large  admixture 
of  people  from  Bengal  and  Madras,  as  well  as 
the  Burmese.  (In  Burma,  when  we  speak  of 
'*  natives "  we  always  mean  not  Burmans 
but  natives  of  India.)  But  our  missionary 
efforts  know  of  no  distinction  of  race  or  nation. 
The  command  is  to  "  make  disciples  of  every 
creature."  So  the  station  Chaplain  allowed 
me  to  plead  for  our  Mission  in  the  garrison 
church,  and  then  the  Burmese  and  others  came 
forward  to  help  me  to  raise  the  thousand 
rupees  required  to  earn  the  Government  grant 
of  an  equal  amount. 

We  began  school  in  a  temporary  house,  the 
roof  of  which  was  made  of  thin  tiles  and  there 
was  no  ceiling.  It  was  terrible  work  sitting 
in  that  room  in  April,  our  hottest  month — and 
Thayetmyo  is  one  of  our  hottest  stations — 
teaching  about  thirty  pupils,  mostly  at  first 
Madrassis  or  Mussulmans.  The  school,  St. 
Andrew's  S.P.G.  Mission  School,  began  under 
difficulty,  struggled  on,  and  held  its  own.  The 
Rev.  C.  H.  Chard,  who  became  missionary  and 

119 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

chaplain  of  Thayetmyo,  wisely  and  zealously 
fostered  it,  and  under  his  able  management  it 
became  a  flourishing  institution,  as  did  also 
St.  Helena's  School  for  Girls,  under  the  care 
of  Mrs.  Chard.  The  Rev.  J.  Kristna  was  after- 
wards in  charge  of  Thayetm3^o  for  a  time.  I 
must  leave  it  to  others  to  tell  the  more  recent 
history  of  St.  Andrew's  Mission  School. 

That  is  the  story  of  the  beginnings  of 
our  river  schools  and  of  their  subsequent 
development.  It  will  be  gathered  from  what 
I  have  said,  and  even  more  from  what  I  have 
not  said,  that  to  maintain  district  Mission  schools 
as  evangelizing  agencies,  regular  and  constant 
supervision  by  the  European  missionary  is 
absolutely  essential.  When  that  is  not  avail- 
able the  schools  invariably  fail  to  maintain 
either  their  Christian  and  missionary  character, 
or  their  secular  efficiency.  But  though  the 
institutions  themselves  may  cease  to  exist  by 
the  name  by  which  they  have  been  known  and 
described,  yet  it  must  be  remembered  that  no 
work  for  God  undertaken  in  faith  and  obedience 
is  ever  allowed  completely  to  fail.  The  results 
may  not  be  at  once  apparent,  but  in  His  own 
good  time,  God  will  give  the  increase, 

\ 


RETURN  TO  RANGOON 

In  Henzada  our  work  seemed  to  fail  and 
utterly  to  collapse  when  the  school  was  sold. 
But  on  a  subsequent  visit  to  the  station  I  was 
called  upon  by  several  of  the  elder  ex-pupils  of 
the  school  now  in  Government  employ,  who 
although  only  catechumens,  yet  held  Christian 
meetings  amongst  themselves,  and  went  out 
into  the  neighbouring  villages  to  read  the 
Bible  to  the  Buddhists,  and  to  tell  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  If  we  had  but 
more  missionaries  to  follow  them  up,  many  an 
ex-pupil  would  be  found  glad  to  hear  again  the 
lessons  which  he  was  taught  in  the  Christian 
school. 


121 


CHAPTER  IX 

SCHOOL   ROUTINE 

T3UT  I  must  return  to  Rangoon.  We  soon 
-*^  found  our  new  house,  '*  Woodlands,"  to  be 
almost  as  unsuitable  for  our  purposes  as  had 
been  "  The  Cottage."  It  was  the  residence  of 
three  or  four  European  Mission  Agents,  of 
twenty-five  Burmese  boarders,  and  of  250 
day  scholars,  whose  schoolroom  was  very  low 
and  inconvenient.  The  house  was  costing  us 
Rs.  1,200  a  year  and  repairs.  With  the  aid  of 
our  committee  I  had  made  several  selections 
for  a  site  for  our  Mission.  The  chief  objection 
to  all  was  their  expensiveness — Rs.  1,000  per 
acre  being  asked  for  town  lots. 

I  had  at  last  bought  provisionally  six 
acres,  when  one  day  the  Chief  Commissioner 
told  me  that  a  most  eligible  site  in  a  line 
with  Government  House  was  with  that  estate 

122 


SCHOOL  ROUTINE 

to  be  thrown  out  of  Cantonment  or  military 
boundaries,  and  to  be  sold  as  suburban 
allotments  at  Rs.  200  per  acre,  and  he 
advised  me  to  apply  for  some  of  this  in 
exchange  for  my  other  purchase.  This  I  very 
gladly  did,  and  after  some  unnecessary  delay, 
secured  our  present  most  valuable  estate  at 
the  upset  price.  I  purchased  it  in  the  name  of 
the  Incorporated  Society  for  the  Propagation 
of  the  Gospel,  which  by  its  charters  is  a  body 
corporate,  capable  of  holding  property,  etc. 
One  acre  was  freely  granted  by  Government 
to  the  Society  whereon  to  build  a  Mission 
church  or  chapel  (a  condition  which  has  been 
too  long  delayed,  but  the  obstacles  to  the 
fulfilment  of  which  have,  I  trust,  now  dis- 
appeared). The  land  thus  acquired  as  the 
property  of  the  Society  has  continually  in- 
creased in  value,  and  is  now  worth  not  less 
than  Rs.  10,000  per  acre. 

Meantime  the  name  of  the  institution  had 
been  changed.  We  began  it  as  simply  the 
^'S.P.G.  Mission  School.*'  Then  we  called  it 
''St.  John's  School,"  a  title  which  some 
amusing  adventures  soon  informed  us  was 
already  appropriated  by  the  Roman  Catholic 

123 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

Girls'  School.  So  by  the  advice  of  Sir  Arthur 
Phayre,  and  in  accordance  with  Bishop 
Cotton's  scheme,  we  called  it  ''St.  John's 
College,  S.P.G./'  a  name  by  which  it  is  known 
and  loved  by  thousands  of  pupils  and  their 
friends. 

Having  secured  the  land,  we  now  set  to 
work  to  erect  the  building.  We  had  offered 
a  premium  of  Rs.  250  for  the  best  design, 
and  we  chose  that  submitted  by  Mr.  J.  J. 
Jones,  a  young  employe  of  the  Public  Works 
Department.  It  was  by  no  means  perfect,  in 
fact  it  had  curious  and  serious  defects.  But  it 
proved  to  be  a  good  plan  to  start  with  ;  and 
though  we  have  continually  enlarged  and 
added  to  our  buildings,  we  have  always  pre- 
served the  main  features  of  the  original  design. 

The  foundation-stone  of  the  new  building 
was  laid  by  General  Fytche,  the  Chief  Com- 
missioner, in  1869.  The  Rev.  H.  W.  Crofton, 
the  Government  Chaplain,  the  Rev.  C.  Warren 
and  I  took  part  in  the  services,  and  all 
Rangoon,  mihtary  and  civil,  European,  Bur- 
mese and  members  of  all  nationahties  were 
present  on  the  occasion,  which  was  one  of 
great  happiness  to  us  all.     I  had  very  earnestly 

124 


be     i 


M 

M 

C 

o 
U 


SCHOOL   ROUTINE 

longed  for  this  achievement,  and  yet  just  as 
it  was  accompHshed  I  was  called  away,  and 
it  seemed  as  though  I  should  never  be  able 
to  enjoy  that  for  which  I  had  so  anxiously 
worked  and  waited. 

But  before  I  go  on  to  tell  about  that,  I  will 
make  a  digression  to  speak  about  the  funda- 
mental principles  upon  which  our  schools  were 
founded  and  developed.  They  were  essen- 
tially Mission  schools  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  from  this  we  never  swerved,  either  for 
fear  of  offending  or  from  the  hope  of  succeed- 
ing. On  a  boy's  admission,  his  parents  or 
guardians  were  distinctly  informed :  **  This 
is  a  Christian  school.  If  you  put  your  boy 
here,  he  will  be  taught  the  Christian  religion. 
No  underhand  method  of  fear  or  favour  will 
be  brought  to  bear  upon  him  to  make  him 
change  his  religion,  but  he  will  be  instructed 
openly  and  plainly  in  the  doctrines  of 
Christianity.'* 

I  can  truly  say  that  though  I  made  this 
announcement  to  thousands  of  parents,  never 
once  did  anyone  object  to  placing  his  son  in 
our  school,  and  this  was  true  not  only  of  the 
indigenous  races  of  Burma,  Burmese,  Talaings, 

125 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

Shans,  Karens,  but  also  of  Hindoos,  Bengalees, 
Madrassis,  and  the  other  immigrants  from 
India  and  the  Far  East. 

Our  religious  teaching  was  the  amalgam 
which  held  us  together.  Each  day  commenced 
with  prayer  and  other  religious  exercises.  The 
Christian  boys,  inclusive  of  Roman  Catholics, 
Baptists,  etc.,  stood  out  in  front  while  we  sang 
a  short  morning  hymn,  and  I  read  a  small 
portion  of  the  Gospel  in  Burmese  and  English. 
We  all  said  the  Lord's  Prayer,  asking,  of 
course,  not  for  our  daily  bread — for  that  is  not 
the  food  of  the  country — but  for  our  daily  rice ! 
In  our  school  we  had  but  two  meals  a  day, 
rice  and  curry  in  the  morning,  and  curry  and 
rice  in  the  evening  ! 

Very  frequently  I  have  heard  the  non- 
christians  joining  earnestly  in  our  Lord's 
Prayer,  and  it  gladdened  my  heart.  After 
prayers  the  boys  went  away  to  their  classes, 
and  were  there  instructed  by  myself  and  my 
colleagues  bihngually  on  the  portion  of  Scrip- 
ture which  had  been  read,  first  questioning  it 
into  the  pupils,  and  then  questioning  it  out  of 
them,  until  we  were  thoroughly  assured  that 
the  pupils  entirely  appreciated  the  meaning  of 

126 


SCHOOL  ROUTINE 

the  passage.  From  this  practice  we  never 
varied.  Even  when  the  stress  of  secular 
examinations  or  Government  inspections  came 
along,  we  never  lowered  our  flag.  Some  of  our 
inspectors  professed  anti-christian  opinions, 
and  sneered  at  our  religious  teaching  with 
these  non-christian  assistants,  but  all  professed 
respect  at  our  steadfast  adherence  to  the  prin- 
ciple of  religious  education. 

After  the  religious  exercises  the  secular 
work  began,  conducted  on  the  Unes  of  an 
English  Public  School.  I  need  hardly  say  that 
no  difference  whatever  was  made  in  the 
forms  or  classes  with  regard  to  the  various 
nationalities,  creeds  and  languages  of  the 
pupils.  The  same  rules  and  discipHne  applied 
to  all.  None  ever  claimed  or  received 
exemption. 

The  English  and  Eurasian  boys  received 
instruction  in  the  vernacular,  the  Burmese 
learned  English,  and  the  interchange  was 
mutually  advantageous.  We  had  to  take  the 
greatest  care  that  the  native  teachers  in  giving 
secular  instruction  did  not  contradict  our 
Christian  or  nineteenth-century  teaching.    Once 

I  overheard  one  of  our  best  assistant  teachers 

127 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

telling  his  pupils  :  ''  The  Burmese  believe  that 
the  world  is  fiat,  but  in  this  school  you  must 
always  say  that  the  world  is  round  .  .  .  etc/' 
But  though  this  English  teaching  was  often 
very  evidently  against  the  grain,  the  teachers 
were  most  thoroughly  loyal,  and  very  honestly 
carried  out  the  instructions  that  they  had 
been  given.  And  no  pupils  could  have  been 
more  earnest,  more  keen,  more  diligent  or 
anxious  to  improve,  than  were  our  pupils.  It 
was  the  happiest  school  that  one  could  wish 
for.  The  various  nationalities  vied  with  one 
another  in  their  keen  desire  for  excellence. 
They  put  in  hard  continuous  work.  I  will  not 
say  that  there  were  no  exceptions.  We  had 
some  slackers  and  not  a  few    disappointments. 

For  instance,  a  pupil  would  study  most 
diligently  and  pass  our  private  test  examina- 
tions and  give  us  every  hope  that  he  would 
be  a  credit  to  his  teachers.  But  at  the 
supreme  moment — apparently  without  rhyme 
or  reason — he  would  absent  himself,  to  our  great 
disappointment. 

One  particular  case  I  remember.  A  student 
had  done  remarkably  well  in  all  preliminaries, 

and  we  believed  that  in  the  forthcoming  Cal- 

128 


SCHOOL  ROUTINE 

cutta  University  examination  he  would  take 
a  high  position  ;  but  on  the  very  day  when 
he  had  to  sign  the  roll  for  his  identification 
he  was  absent  and  could  not  be  found.  When 
the  examination  was  over,  he  returned  to  his 
place  in  school,  smiling  and  happy,  but  he 
met  with  a  very  unfavourable  reception,  as 
may  be  imagined. 

I  demanded  a  private  interview  for  an  ex- 
planation of  his  conduct,  and  when  he  gave 
what  I  regarded  as  prevaricating  replies,  I 
thereupon  administered  exemplary  chastise- 
ment. He  turned  to  me,  quite  forgiving  me, 
and  said  :  *'  Please,  Sayagyi,  I  got  married. 
May  I  bring  my  wife  to  see  you  ?  "  My  wrath 
was  gone.  A  day  or  two  afterwards  the 
bride  was  introduced  to  me,  a  bright,  happy 
girl,  evidently  a  help-meet  for  him.  I  told 
her  what  had  happened  and  that  her  husband 
had  received  the  reward  of  merit.  She  smiled 
sweetly  and  said :  **  1  am  so  glad,  it  will 
make  him  a  good  husband.  And  if  he  is  not, 
I  will  bring  him  to  you  again.*'  He  came 
up  at  the  next  examination  and  passed 
triumphantly. 

The  Burmese,  the  Irish  of  the  East,  are  Uke 
129  9 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

our  friends  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  a  mass  of  con- 
tradictions. At  one  time,  earnest,  diligent 
and  energetic  ;  at  another,  lazy,  careless  and 
casual.  There  are,  of  course,  exceptions,  but, 
as  a  rule,  they  are  affectionate,  unselfish  and 
kind,  but  unreliable.  I  do  trust  and  believe 
that  English  Christian  education  will  give  them 
that  stability  of  character  which  nothing  else 
can  impart,  and  I  speak  from  experience. 

A  favourite  method  for  a  naughty  boy  to 
show  his  wrath  used  to  be  to  run  his  head 
against  the  wall  and  then  lie  on  the  floor  and 
scream.  I  recollect  one  Burmo-Chinese  boy 
performing  that  operation.  For  a  moment, 
as  he  lay  on  the  floor  almost  senseless,  I  was 
frightened,  but  I  hastened  his  return  to  con- 
sciousness and  activity  by  the  application  of  a 
small  bit  of  bamboo.  It  quickened  his  mental 
and  physical  activity  so  effectively  that  he 
never  repeated  the  operation,  but  entered  upon 
a  very  honourable  scholastic  career,  and  he  is 
now  a  most  learned  savant  and  a  member  of 
various  learned  societies. 

The  unrehability  which  I  have  shown  to  be 
characteristic  of  the  students  with  regard  to 
their  studies  was  shown  also  in  their  games. 

130 


SCHOOL  ROUTINE 

Lads  could  be  keen,  sometimes  dangerously 
so,  and  then  all  of  a  sudden,  apparently  for 
no  reason  whatever,  they  would  drop  out  of 
the  lists  and  give  way  to  lassitude. 

I  remember  on  one  occasion  an  instance  of 
this  in  connection  with  our  Cadet  Corps,  of 
which  we  were  very  proud  and  with  good 
reason.  A  company  had  been  out  to  the  rifle 
range  at  Insein,  a  few  miles  from  Rangoon, 
for  class  firing.  They  returned  in  the  early 
gloaming,  travel-stained  and  weary,  and  the 
head  boy  came  to  me  and  said  :  "  Sir,  we  are 
very  tired  ;  may  we  have  a  game  of  football 
instead  of  evening  study  ?  "  I  need  not  say 
that  they  were  very  lovable  fellows.  Every- 
body who  had  anything  to  do  with  them 
loved  them. 

Private  study  was  the  rule  in  the  evenings, 
but  no  lamps — except  the  regulation  hurricane 
lamp — were  allowed  in  the  dormitories.  We 
had  to  take  the  utmost  precautions  against 
fire  in  our  wooden  buildings.  It  was  a  high 
crime  and  misdemeanour  to  infringe  our  regu- 
lations in  this  respect,  and  we  were  marvellously 
immune,  though  we  had  one  or  two  narrow 
escapes. 

131  9* 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

When  the  industrious  fit  was  on  them,  the 
boys  would  take  their  lesson  books  to  bed  and 
study  as  long  as  they  could  see,  and  resume 
in  the  early  daylight.  On  one  occasion  a  boy 
seemed  to  be  unhappy  and  restless  in  bed,  so 
I  went  and  woke  him,  and  inquired  what  was 
the  matter.  He  looked  wildly  round  him 
and  then  blurted  out :  ''  Pronouns  have  three 
cases,  etc." 

All  the  schools  founded  by  me  throughout 
the  whole  country  were  conducted  upon  the 
same  plan,  so  that  boys  migrating  from  one 
to  the  other  with  proper  certificates  found 
themselves  at  home  in  their  new  school  as 
much  as  in  the  one  which  they  had  left. 
These  pupils  not  only  in  Rangoon,  but  in  all 
the  other  schools,  soon  began  a  practice,  which 
is  continued  to  the  present  day,  of  calling 
themselves,  Say  a  Mat  Kyoung  tha  (''  Dr. 
Marks'  pupils ''). 

Naturally    the    education    of   Burmese   girls 

was  a  consideration  which  weighed  heavily  on 

my  mind,  as  it  had  on  the  cares  and  thoughts 

of  many  other  educationalists  in  the  country. 

We  found  the  parents,  though  very  keen  for 

the    education    of    the    boys,    careless    about, 

132 


SCHOOL  ROUTINE 

if  not  actually  opposed  to,  their  girls  being 
taught,  especially  by  foreigners.  The  reply  to 
all  one's  endeavours  to  interest  fathers  and 
mothers  in  the  education  of  their  girls  was  the 
blocking  suggestion  that  it  was  not  Burmese 
ionzan  (custom). 

We  had  to  proceed  warily.  I  was,  and  am, 
a  celibate.  None  of  the  gentler  sex  were  in 
any  way  connected  with  my  work.  Not  one 
female  was  engaged  in  any  capacity  in  St. 
John's  College.  I  began,  therefore,  by  utilizing 
the  services  of  a  Eurasian  teacher  in  a  hired 
room.  It  was  a  dismal  failure.  I  then  tried 
the  experiment  of  getting  a  lady  teacher  from 
Calcutta.  She  was  highly  educated,  and  had 
a  high  idea  of  her  own  dignity  and  acquire- 
ments, and  looked  with  scorn  and  contempt 
upon  our  primitive  arrangements.  Two  or 
three  girls  were  brought  to  her,  but  she  seemed 
to  think  them  young  savages  and  to  consider 
that  it  was  beneath  her  dignity  to  instruct 
them. 

About  the  fourth  or  fifth  morning,  when  I 
visited  the  empty  schoolroom,  she  suggested 
that  she  should  take  my  photograph,  to 
which    I    demurred,     but    she    willingly    con- 

133 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

curred  in  my  suggestion  that  she  should 
return  to  Calcutta  by  the  next  steamer  !  So 
ended  our  first  attempt,  and  we  decided  to 
postpone  until  my  return  from  England  any 
further  experiment. 

I  felt  keenly  on  the  subject,  and  during  my 
furlough  I  constantly  pointed  out  how  useless 
it  was  to  continue  the  education  of  Burmese 
boys,  if,  on  arriving  at  manhood,  they  only 
had  ignorant,  uninstructed  girls  to  marry. 

I  have  already  pointed  out  how  I  succeeded 
in  securing  the  aid  of  Miss  Cooke.  I  shall 
ever  be  thankful  for  her  connection  with  our 
work  and  its  results.  She  had  that  magnetic 
influence,  that  sweet,  winning  way,  that 
smiling  countenance,  which  could  not  fail  to 
influence  the  girls  around  her,  and  so  St. 
Mary's  School  was  started  propitiously.  It 
has  thrived  ever  since,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
leading  educational  institutions  in  the  country. 

Miss  Cooke  continued  in  charge  of  the 
school  until  she  married  one  of  my  colleagues, 
the  Rev.  C.  H.  Chard,  who  afterwards  became 
Archdeacon  of  Rangoon. 

Thus  our  educational  work,  both  for  boys 
and     girls,     increased     and     developed.     Our 

134 


SCHOOL  ROUTINE 

greatest  difficulty  soon  became  the  provision 
of  assistant  masters  and  teachers,  but,  as  time 
went  on,  the  schools  themselves  provided  us 
with  these  and  I  have  always  found  that  my 
own  pupils  became  my  best  assistants. 


135 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   DIOCESAN   ORPHANAGE 

/^WING  to  circumstances  well  known  to 
^^  all  acquainted  with  Eastern  countries 
under  European  government,  there  are  large 
numbers  of  boys  and  girls  of  mixed  parentage 
in  Burma,  most  of  them  being  the  offspring  of 
European  fathers  and  Burmese  mothers. 

According  to  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  Burmese,  no  stigma  whatever  attaches 
to  a  Burmese  maiden  who  goes  through  a  form 
of  matrimony  with  a  European,  though  she 
knows  that  the  union  is  dissolvable  at  pleasure, 
on  terms  considered  fair  to  both  parties.  In 
the  Burmese  mind,  the  union  between  John 
Smith  or  Thomas  Mc —  and  Ma  Shwe,  per- 
formed in  presence  of  her  parents  and  a  select 
gathering  of  friends,  the  contracting  parties 
eating  rice  and  curry  out  of  the  same  dish,  is 

136 


THE  DIOCESAN  ORPHANAGE 

as  much  a  valid  marriage  as  if  it  were  per- 
formed in  church  by  a  Bishop  or  Arch- 
deacon. 

This  is  the  opinion  of  the  Burmese.  The 
Europeans  set  a  different  valuation  upon  the 
whole  thing,  which  many  of  them  regard  as 
an  amusing  farce,  knowing  well  that  except 
by  the  constraint  of  their  consciences  they 
can  at  any  time  easily  sunder  the  marriage 
tie,  desert  the  so-called  wife  and  her  children, 
and  depart  to  the  home-land  and  marry  an 
English  wife. 

They  have  not  always,  however,  the  oppor- 
tunity for  doing  this.  Fever,  cholera,  or 
accident  intervenes,  and  the  mother  is  left  a 
widow  with  her  children.  Or  the  father  is 
invahded  home  and  the  children  of  the  Bur- 
mese liaison  are  left  unprovided  for. 

These  are  our  orphans.  They  are  of  Euro- 
pean and  Christian  parentage,  and  cannot  be 
allowed  to  grow  up  as  Burmese  Buddhists. 

One  can  never  forget  the  shock  which  one 
gets  when  this  condition  of  things  is  first 
brought  to  one's  notice.  You  go  to  what 
seems  an  ordinary  Burmese  house  and  the 
children  come  arouRd  you  to  talk.     Oh,  happy, 

137 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

charming  creatures  are  little  Burmese  boys 
and  girls !  But  as  they  play  around,  you 
suddenly  discover  the  pale  face  and  light  hair 
of  one  which  marks  it  out  from  the  rest,  and 
on  inquiry  you  are  told  that  it  is  the  offspring 
of  a  former  Assistant  Commissioner  or  a  young 
merchant,  that  there  is  no  provision  for  it, 
and  that  it  is  being  brought  up  as  Burmese. 

What  is  the  missionary  to  do  in  the  face  of 
this  kind  of  thing  ?  We  dare  not  leave  the 
offspring  of  Christian  parents  to  be  brought 
up  ignorant  of,  or  hostile  to,  their  own  religion. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  must  be  careful  not  to 
encourage  parents  to  neglect  their  children  by 
relieving  them  of  parental  responsibihty. 

After  a  very  careful  consideration  of  the 
whole  question,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
we  must  be  prepared  to  take  risks,  and  that 
the  claims  of  these  children,  especially  of  the 
poorer  ones,  could  not  be  overlooked. 

Provision  for  the  education  of  the  richer 
classes  of  European  and  Eurasian  children  was 
already  made  by  the  chaplains  under  Bishop 
Cotton's  Diocesan  Scheme  of  Education.  But 
for  the  poor  and  destitute  and  for  orphans 
(with  the  exception   of   a  small  mixed  school 

138 


THE  DIOCESAN  ORPHANAGE 

in   Maulmein)  there    was    no    provision   made 
by  our  Church  in  Burma. 

It  seemed  to  be  a  work  rightly  faUing  within 
the  sphere  of  missionary  labour — at  any  rate, 
at  first.  Many  of  these  poor  children  were 
being  brought  up  as  Buddhists  or  heathen. 
Left  to  their  Burmese  mothers,  they  could  not 
speak  English  and  were  dressed  either  entirely 
or  for  the  most  part  as  natives  and  very  poorly 
provided  for.  To  rescue  them  and  give  them 
Christian  teaching  and  a  good  secular  education 
seemed  to  be  a  work  of  charity  as  well  as  of 
necessity.  And  yet  we  could  hardly  provide 
for  it  out  of  ordinary  Mission  funds. 

After  much  anxious  consultation,  I  deter- 
mined to  begin  within  the  walls  of  St.  John's 
College  an  institution  called  the  "  S.P.G. 
Orphan  Home,"  and  I  had  mentioned  this  as 
one  of  the  objects  for  which  I  sought  so  much 
land. 

We  had  wealthy  fathers  who  provided  every- 
thing for  their  children.  We  had  equally  in- 
teresting boys  whose  fathers  were  either 
unknown,  or  suspect,  or  non-existent,  for 
whom  no  provision  was  made.  They  were 
the  veritable  waifs  and  strays  of  Burma. 

139 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

For  such  I  neither  dared  nor  would  appeal 
to  the  British  public  at  home,  and  how  to 
maintain  them  on  equal  terms  with  the  others 
gave  me  many  an  anxious  thought  and  sleep- 
less night. 

At  last  I  resolved  to  call  a  meeting  of  all 
whom  I  thought  to  be  interested  in  the  ques- 
tion. It  seems  that  I  blundered  heavily.  I 
invited  the  attendance  at  a  meeting  to  inau- 
gurate an  orphanage,  of  some  who  were  too 
deeply  interested  in  the  matter.  It  was  a 
large  meeting  held  in  the  Custom-house.  I 
plaintively  put  before  the  meeting  my  diffi- 
culties and  anxieties,  but  I  got  no  sympathy. 
On  the  contrary,  I  was  assured  that  I  was 
attempting  to  condone  immorality  and  to 
promote  concubinage.  A  proposition  to  com- 
mence a  Church  of  England  Orphanage  was 
almost  unanimously  negatived. 

I  shall  never  forget  that  afternoon.  I  was 
utterly  dejected,  but  my  faith  in  the  righteous- 
ness of  my  cause  did  not  fail  me.  I  said  in  a 
moment  of  bitterness  :  "  Gentlemen,  I  thank 
you  for  your  attendance,  I  grieve  at  your 
vote,    but    I    am    determined    to    estabhsh    ^ 

diocesan  orphanage." 

140 


THE  DIOCESAN  ORPHANAGE 

Fortunately,  we  had  strong  support  amongst 
the  clergy  and  other  friends  of  the  Mission. 
One  merchant,  after  hearing  all  the  objections 
at  our  first  public  meeting,  quietly  slipped  into 
my  hands  a  cheque  for  Rs.  500  wherewith 
to  start  the  institution.  It  has  gone  on -doing 
its  beneficent  work  ever  since — though  after 
the  creation  of  the  Diocese  of  Rangoon,  at 
Bishop  Titcomb's  advice,  the  name  was 
changed  into  its  present  title,  "  Ihe  Diocesan 
Orphanage  for  Boys ;  "  for  on  the  establishment 
by  Bishop  Strachan  of  the  Bishop's  Home  for 
Girls,  the  scope  of  our  orphanage  was  limited 
to  boys. 

The  maintenance  of  the  institution  as  a  part 
of,  and  yet  to  a  large  extent  financially  sepa- 
rate from,  the  College,  has  added  very  greatly 
to  our  anxieties  and  responsibilities.  For 
many  years  I  had  to  find  about  Rs.  1,000  per 
mensem  to  feed,  clothe  and  educate  nearly 
one  hundred  orphan  and  destitute  European 
and  Eurasian  lads.  But  it  has  been  a  work 
which  God  has  greatly  blessed,  and  in  looking 
back  upon  my  happy  life  in  Burma  there  is 
no  part  of  the  work  for  which  I  feel  more 
grateful,    and   which   will,    I   believe,   be  pro-* 

141 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

ductive  of  better  results.  The  Government 
and  people  of  Burma  have  supported  it  with 
wonderful  hberahty  and  kindness.  Let  me 
give  one  instance. 

Sir  Charles  E.  Bernard,  the  Chief  Commis- 
sioner, the  friend  of  every  good  work  in  the 
province,  promised  me  Rs.  10,000  if  I  could 
raise  an  equal  sum  towards  building  a  separate 
orphanage  in  the  College  compound.  But  I 
was  taken  ill  and  was  unable  to  go  about 
among  my  friends  to  get  the  money.  So 
unwell  was  I  that  Sir  Charles  was  good  enough 
to  insist  that  I  should  leave  the  noise  and 
work  of  the  College,  and  enjoy  the  luxury  and 
quiet  of  his  residence.  Government  House. 

One  day  he  came  to  me  and  said  :  *'  My 
promised  grant  of  Rs.  10,000  can  only  hold 
good  for  a  few  days  longer,  after  which  it  will 
pass  from  my  control.  I  see  that  you  are  not 
fit  to  collect  your  share.  What  could  you  do 
with  this  sum  by  itself  ? "  I  assured  him 
that  we  should  be  able  to  erect  a  building  large 
enough  for  our  present  purposes,  and  he  there- 
upon passed  orders  on  my  application  for  the 
sum  of  Rs.  10,000  to  be  given  to  us. 

It  was  a  splendid  tonic.     I  bucked  up,  and 
142 


THE  DIOCESAN  ORPHANAGE 

though  I  had  already  been  having  the  atten- 
tion of  the  kindest  physician,  this  medicine 
soon  put  me  all  right  again. 

Of  course,  as  we  expected,  there  came  a 
strong  remonstrance  from  the  Director  of 
PubHc  Instruction  about  the  grant.  He  had 
cast  longing  eyes  on  this  final  balance  of  the 
Educational  Grant  for  the  benefit  of  some  of  his 
secular  schools  ;  but  Sir  Charles  soon  convinced 
him  that  the  deed  was  done  and  that  the 
money  had  been  paid  into  my  account  at  the 
bank  !  Thus  with  a  Hberal  grant  from  the 
Rangoon  Municipality  (always  our  friends), 
and  a  gift  of  Rs.  500  from  dear  Bishop  Tit- 
comb,  who  knew  and  loved  our  orphan  boys  and 
was  loved  by  them,  we  were  able  to  build  and 
equip  the  very  suitable  Diocesan  Orphanage, 
which  is  the  central  house  in  our  group  of 
buildings. 

The  Rangoon  merchants  have  ever  been 
most  kind  and  liberal.  One  firm  has  given  us 
for  many  years  past  Rs.  1,000  per  annum  in 
money  or  rice  (we  prefer  the  latter) ;  another 
has  given  us  all  the  timber  we  have  needed  for 
our  constant  additions  and  nearly  every  church 
in  the  diocese  gives  us  an  annual  offertory. 

X43 


CHAPTER  XI 
mind6n  min 

A  FTER  the  second  Burmese  war  in  1852, 
^^^  when  the  Province  of  Pegu  was  annexed 
to  the  Indian  Empire,  a  Hne  was  drawn  across 
the  country  a  few  miles  above  Thayetmyo  on 
the  Irrawaddy,  and  Toungoo  on  the  Sittang, 
all  south  of  which  was  called  British  or  Lower 
Burma,  and  all  to  the  north  (comprising  about 
200,000  square  miles)  was  called  the  Kingdom 
of  Burma,  or  Upper  Burma. 

By  the  terms  of  the  treaty  by  which  this 
settlement  was  concluded,  it  was  arranged 
that  the  kingdoms  should  be  separate  and 
independent  of  one  another,  but  that  a  British 
Agent  should  be  entertained  at  the  Burmese 
capital,  then  Amarapopra,  and  that  there 
should  be  an  envoy  in  Rangoon. 

It  was  foreseen  that  difficulties  would  arise, 
144 


H 


MINDON  MIN 

but  it  was  hoped  that  by  mutual  forbearance 
these  might  be  overcome.  Absconding  traders 
would  find  a  refuge  in  Upper  Burma,  where 
they  would  be  safe  from  civil  process,  while 
poUtical  refugees  from  the  North  would  find 
immunity  in  British  territory. 

Shortly  after  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  or 
rather  as  the  cause  of  its  termination  by  a 
bloodless  revolution,  the  foolish  King  Pagan 
Min  was  deposed,  and  his  brother,  Mindon  Min, 
was  placed  upon  the  throne.  The  former 
was  one  of  the  worst,  the  latter  decidedly  the 
best,  Burmese  monarch  of  the  house  of 
Aloungpaya.  Pagan  Min,  on  his  dethrone- 
ment, instead  of  being  murdered  by  his  suc- 
cessor according  to  Burmese  custom,  was  kept 
in  honourable  seclusion  till  his  death  from  old 
age. 

Of  Mindon  Min  I  would  speak  with  gratitude 
and  respect.  Personally,  I  found  him  to  be  a 
good  Burmese  scholar,  a  gentleman  with  much 
of  kingly  dignity  but  of  very  narrow  ideas 
concerning  the  relations  of  his  kingdom — or  Em- 
pire, as  he  chose  to  call  it — with  other  States. 

He  believed  himself  to  be  at  least  an  equal 
of  the  most  powerful  monarch  in  the  world. 

145  10 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

He  had  a  horror  of  bloodshed,  and  never  tired 
of  dehvering  himself  of  moral  platitudes 
which  did  not  always  find  expression  in  his 
dealings  with  others.  I  often  thought,  on 
personal  intercourse  with  him,  that  with  a 
little  training  he  would  have  made  an  astute 
merchant  after  the  Oriental  type — ''  Heads 
I  win,  tails  you  lose." 

He  was  of  a  kindly  disposition,  a  lover  of, 
and  beloved  by,  children — a  good  sign  in  any 
man.  He  inaugurated  a  large  harem.  He 
had  a  strong  sense  of  humour  and  could  laugh 
heartily.  He  had  a  genuine  desire  for  the 
prosperity  of  his  country,  of  which,  however, 
he  knew  very  little  except  from  the  reports 
of  his  ministers. 

He  was  a  pious  and  learned  Buddhist  and 
spent  large  portions  of  the  revenues  of  his 
country  on  the  endowment  of  Buddhist  institu- 
tions, while  his  military  and  other  servants 
had  to  go  without  their  pay. 

In  personal  appearance  he  was  every  inch 
a  King;  though  the  nasty  habit  of  chewing 
betel-nut  and  expectorating,  detracted  greatly 
from  his  personal  dignity.  He  had  a  pleasant, 
low,  musical  voice. 

146 


MINDON  MIN 

The  story  of  the  founding  of  the  new  capital 
of  Mandalay  is  well  known  ;  but,  for  the  sake 
of  those  who  are  not  familiar  with  it,  I  will 
quote  Mr.  V.  C.  Scott  O'Connor's  interesting 
book,  "  Mandalay  and  other  Cities  of  Burma." 
*'  In  1853  King  Mindon  ascended  the  throne  of 
Burma.  In  1856  he  grew  very  tired  of  his 
capital  (Amarapoora),  associated  in  his  mind 
with  the  unfortunate  reign  of  his  elder  brother 
and  the  humiliation  of  his  country.  He  was 
anxious  to  make  a  better  beginning,  he  was 
avid  of  fame,  and  he  wished  to  draw  away 
the  attention  of  his  people  from  the  disaster 
which  had  overtaken  his  dynasty. 

''  He  began  accordingly  to  dream  dreams, 
to  see  visions,  and  to  consult  with  his  wise 
men  and  his  soothsayers  about  the  founding 
of  a  new  city.  .  .  .  And  so  it  came  to  pass 
that  on  Friday,  the  13th  of  February,  1857 — 
that  year  of  terrible  upheaval  in  India — the 
first  stone  of  Mandalay  was  laid  to  please  the 
King,  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  people 
prepared  to  give  up  their  homes  and  all  their 
associations,  and  move  to  a  new  city  at  the 
caprice  of  his  will.  .  .  .  When  the  new  palace 
was  finished,  the  King  and  Queen  went  to  it 

147  10* 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

in  royal  procession  and  entered  in.  Here  in 
the  heart  of  his  new  city,  and  out  of  sight  and 
sound  of  the  British  steamers  which  fretted 
his  spirit,  Mindon  Min  hved  and  ruled  for 
more  than  twenty  years." 

I  have  interpolated  this  long  quotation  as 
I  shall  have  a  good  deal  to  say  about  Man- 
dalay  and  Mindon  Min^  and  this  statement  of 
Mr.  Scott  O'Connor  will  enable  the  reader  to 
gain  a  clearer  insight  into  the  conditions  and 
environment  to  which  the  sequence  of  my 
narrative  is  now  leading  me. 

Although  Mindon  Min  was  the  best^  the. 
most  enlightened,  and  the  most  honourable 
King  that  ever  reigned  in  Burma,  his  reign 
was  by  no  means  one  of  continued  peace  and 
prosperity.  It  was  part  of  the  compact  by 
which  he  was  helped  to  the  throne  that  he 
should  reign  during  his  lifetime,  but  that  his 
brother,  the  **  War  Prince,*'  should  be  pro- 
claimed ''  Ain  Shay  Min,"  or  heir-apparent, 
and  that  the  War  Prince's  sons  should  be 
recognized  as  heirs-presumptive  to  the  throne, 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  sons  of  Mindon  Min. 

The  War  Prince  was  so  called  because  of 
his  official  position  as  head  of  the  army,  and 

148 


MINDON   MIN 

of  his  warlike  propensities.  It  was  his  fixed 
determination  to  train  the  Burmese  soldiers 
to  be  able  to  cope  with  British  forces,  and  his 
constant  endeavour  was  to  gather  great  store 
of  arms  and  ammunition  in  Mandalay.  He 
employed  many  French,  German  and  Italian 
workmen  in  his  forts  and  arsenals,  and  sent 
the  most  promising  Burmese  youths  to  be 
trained  in  the  mihtary  schools  of  France  and 
Italy.  His  dream  was  to  drive  the  British  by 
force  of  arms  out  of  Lower  Burma. 

King  Mindon,  on  the  contrary,  was  of  a 
mild  and  peaceful  disposition.  He,  too,  longed 
for  the  restoration  of  the  Lower  Provinces 
to  his  kingdom,  but  he  trusted  for  that 
restoration  to  the  magnanimity  and  generosity 
of  the  British  Government,  when  it  should  be 
seen  how  wisely  and  justly  he  ruled  his  own 
kingdom.  He  always  beUeved  that  under 
stress  of  foreign  or  Continental  complications 
Great  Britain  would  be  glad  to  withdraw  her 
troops  and  hand  back  these  provinces  to  him. 

So  strong  was  his  belief  that  this  would 
happen,  that  (as  he  frequently  told  me)  he  felt 
sure   that   he   would   eventually   reign   over  a 

reunited  Burma,  and  for  that  purpose  he  kept 

149 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

a  number  of  officials  in  readiness  to  resume  the 
government  of  the  restored  districts  ;  though 
he  always  expressed  his  admiration  of  our  rule 
in  Lower  Burma,  and  his  wish  to  retain  the 
services  of  some  of  our  officers.  Let  me  antici- 
pate, by  the  following  story,  an  illustration  of 
the  King's  intense  anxiety  on  this  point. 

One  morning,  when  I  was  at  the  height  of 
royal  favour,  a  King's  messenger  came  to  me 
shortly  after  seven  o'clock,  saying :  "  His 
Majesty  wishes  to  see  you  immediately." 

I  at  once  ordered  my  bullock  carriage  to  be 
got  ready,  but  before  it  could  be  prepared  two 
other  messengers  came,  each  more  urgent  than 
the  last,  saying  :  ''  The  King  is  in  the  Hall  of 
Audience,  and  is  impatiently  calHng  for  you." 

I  was  at  a  loss  to  guess  the  cause  of  this 
unusual  haste.  But  I  went  as  quickly  as 
possible,  and  found  all  waiting  for  me  at  the 
Palace,  where  I  was  ushered  at  once  into  the 
presence  of  the  King,  who,  surrounded  by  his 
ministers  and  a  large  court,  was  eagerly  await- 
ing my  arrival. 

Without  any  of  the  usual  preUminaries,  His 
Majesty  asked  me  if  I  had  had  any  letter 
from   Rangoon,   Calcutta,   or   England.     I   re- 

150 


MINDON  MIN 

plied  that  by  the  mail  which  had  arrived  on 
the  previous  night  I  had  letters  from  all  these 
places.  '*  Did  they  tell  you  the  great  news  ?  '* 
he  asked.  I  repHed  that  my  letters  contained 
no  important  information  whatever. 

The  King  seemed  astonished,  and  repeated 
his  question  in  other  forms.  I  could  not  make 
out  what  he  meant,  and  assured  him  that  my 
answer  was  quite  accurate.  So,  still  thinking 
that  I  was  keeping  back  important  news,  he 
ordered  a  herald  to  read  out  loud,  for  the 
information  of  myself  and  others,  a  Burmese 
translation  of  a  pamphlet  of  the  ''  Battle  of 
Dorking  "  series,  entitled,  *'  How  the  Russians 
took  India." 

I  Hstened  with  interest  and  amusement, 
the  King,  with  his  binoculars,  watching  my 
face  the  whole  time.  When  the  reading  was 
finished.  His  Majesty,  with  great  satisfaction, 
said  to  me,  **  There,  English  Priest,  what  do 
you  say  to  that  ?  " 

I  told  him  that  I  had  some  weeks  previbusly 
read  that  pamphlet,  which  was  not  history, 
but  only  a  parable  to  warn  England  what 
might  possibly  happen  unless  due  precautions 
were  taken. 

151 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

The  King  was  incredulous,  and  said  that  he 
knew  that  Enghsh  people  never  confessed  to 
having  been  defeated.  I  told  him  to  ask  his 
French  and  Italian  dependents,  who,  to  gain 
his  favour,  had  given  him  the  pamphlet, 
whether  what  I  had  said  of  it  was  not  true. 

They,  of  course,  were  obliged  to  say  that 
I  was  right.  "  Then,"  said  the  King,  ''  I  have 
been  deceived  and  made  a  fool  of ;  "  and  he 
hastily  rose  up  and  quitted  the  hall  in  great 
anger.  People  who  had  petitions  to  present 
to  him  that  day  were  very  unfortunate  ! 

I  have  made  this  long  digression  in  order 
that  my  readers  may  have  some  idea  of  the 
state  of  things  in  the  Kingdom  of  Burma 
when,  in  the  Providence  of  God,  I  was  called 
upon  to  begin  our  Church's  Mission  in  that 
country. 


^52 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE   CALL   TO    MANDALAY 

/^FTEN  and  often  when  my  charge  of  dis- 
^^  trict  schools  embraced  Thayetmyo,  I 
looked  longingly  across  the  frontier,  and  prayed 
that  the  way  might  be  opened  for  me  to  extend 
my  missionary  efforts  into  the  territory  of  the 
Burmese  King.  But  there  was  either  a  clause 
in  the  treaty  or  a  distinct  understanding,  that 
foreign  missionaries  were  not  to  pass  the 
frontier,  and  so,  whenever  I  hinted  my  desire 
to  go  into  the  forbidden  land,  I  was  always 
told  that  the  British  Government  would  not 
sanction,  any  more  than  the  Burmese  Govern- 
ment allow,  such  an  experiment. 

But  that  did  not  remove  my  earnest  desire, 
which  I  had  entertained  ever  since  I  read  on 
my  long  voyage  Mrs.  Macleod  Wylhe's  most 
interesting  book  called  ''  The  Gospel  in  Burma," 

153 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

describing  the  work  and  the  perils  of  Dr. 
Adoniram  Judson,  the  great  American  mis- 
sionary to  the  King  and  Court  of  Burma 
in  1823-25. 

I  longed,  under  the  altered  circumstances, 
to  visit  and  try  to  influence  the  King.  Shortly 
after  the  amalgamation  of  the  three  provinces 
into  the  one  Government  of  British  Burma, 
Sir  Arthur  P.  Phayre,  as  Agent  to  the  Viceroy 
and  Governor-General,  went  on  a  second  mis- 
sion to  the  King  at  Amarapoora,  in  order  to 
negotiate  a  commercial  treaty  between  the 
two  countries.  In  this  he  was  unfortunately 
not  successful,  and  his  failure  was  a  profound 
disappointment.  But  from  him  and  from 
Bishop  Bigandet,  who  accompanied  him,  I 
heard  very  full  details  of  the  etiquette  and 
customs  of  the  Burmese  Court,  which  they  both 
described  as  the  most  ceremonious  and  exclu- 
sive of  any  they  had  ever  heard  of.  And  yet 
both  were  full  of  praise  of  the  excellent 
personal  qualities  and  disposition  of  King 
Mindon. 

But  when  I  hinted  to  Sir  Arthur  that  I 
should  like  to  visit  His  Majesty  for  missionary 
purposes,    he   became   very   grave.     He   said : 

154 


THE  CALL  TO  MANDALAY 

''  We  have  had  two  very  expensive  Burmese 
wars,  costing  enormous  sums  and  many  valu- 
able lives.  Our  relations  with  this  King, 
though  he  will  not  sign  a  treaty,  are  more 
amicable  and  advantageous  than  we  have 
ever  before  had  with  any  of  his  predecessors. 
We  have  left  him  Upper  Burma,  which  is  most 
useful  as  a  friendly  buffer  State  between  our 
territory  and  China  and  Siam.  The  King  is 
a  learned  man  in  his  way,  and  prides  himself 
on  being  entitled  the  '  Great  Chief  of  Righteous- 
ness, and  the  Defender  of  the  Buddhist  Faith.' 
He  is  a  very  devout  Buddhist,  and  spends  a 
great  portion  of  the  revenues  of  his  country 
in  building  pagodas  and  monasteries,  and  in 
feeding  an  immense  number  of  Hpongyis.  The 
Government  of  India  is  very  anxious  to  con- 
tinue on  good  terms  with  him,  to  the  advantage 
of  both  countries.  He  would  resent  our  per- 
mitting an  English  missionary  to  go  into  his 
country.  It  would  be  certain  to  cause  un- 
pleasantness, which  it  is  our  earnest  wish  to 
avoid.  You  would  most  likely  get  into 
trouble.  We  should  be  compelled  to  interfere 
on  your  behalf,  and  then  complications  would 
arise,  and  evil  rather  than  good  would  be  the 

155 


FORTY  YEARS  IN   BURMA 

result.  So  I  can  neither  sanction  nor  recom- 
mend your  attempting  to  go  to  the  King's 
country." 

This  from  so  good  a  Christian  ruler,  and  such 
a  munificent  friend  to  missions  as  was  Sir 
Arthur  Phayre,  was  very  disappointing.  So 
I  had  to  wait.  But  not  for  very  long.  One  of 
the  King's  sons,  the  Thonzai  Prince,  owing 
to  one  of  those  family  troubles  to  which  I  have 
referred,  came  to  Rangoon,  where  he  was 
received  with  much  respect  and  affection  by 
the  Burmans,  who  supplied  all  his  wants  and 
showed  him  all  the  sights  of  our  capital. 
Amongst  other  places  that  he  visited  was  St. 
John's  College,  S.P.G.,  then  in  its  vigorous 
childhood.  He  professed  great  interest  in  a 
school  where  Burmese  boys  were  so  loved  and 
cared  for  and  were  so  affectionate  to  a  foreign 
Hpongyi.  I  showed  him  the  boys'  work,  and 
he  heard  them  converse  with  me  in  English. 
He  accepted  a  Burmese  New  Testament  and 
other  Christian  books. 

He  returned  to  Mandalay  with  Sir  Arthur 
Phayre,  and  was  shortly  afterwards  reconciled 
to  the  King  his  father,  to  whom  he  told  of  all 
the   wonders   of   Rangoon,   not   excepting   our 

156 


THE  CALL  TO  MANDALAY 

S.P.G.  school.  Months  rolled  by,  Sir  Arthur 
Phayre  left  and  was  succeeded  as  Chief  Com- 
missioner by  General  Albert  Fytche,  who  had 
been  a  most  kind  supporter  of  our  work  in 
Maulmein.  One  of  his  first  duties  was  to  go 
to  Mandalay  to  obtain  the  commercial  treaty. 
This,  owing  to  the  firm  attitude  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  India  and  his  own  tact,  and  the  assist- 
ance of  Major  (afterwards  General  Sir  Edward 
B.)  Sladen,  the  British  Resident,  he  succeeded 
in  completing. 

A  few  weeks  after  General  Fytche's  return 
to  Rangoon,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  welcoming 
to  Burma  from  St.  Augustine's,  Canterbury, 
Mr.  C.  H.  Chard  (afterwards  Archdeacon  of 
Rangoon)  to  join  our  Mission,  which  was  thus 
providentially  strengthened.  One  evening, 
just  as  we  had  finished  our  day's  school  work, 
I  received  by  special  messenger  a  letter  from 
Mr.  J.  S.  Manook,  an  Armenian — the  King's 
Kalawun,  or  Minister  for  Foreigners. 

The  letter  consisted  of  a  large  scroll  of 
Burmese  black  paper  {parahike)  folded  in  native 
fashion,  with  the  royal  insignia  of  the  Peacock, 
and  with  the  words :  *'  From  the  King  of 
Burma,"  inscribed  on  it  in  beautiful  characters. 

157 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

It  was  written  in  French  chalk,  but  was 
evidently  authentic. 

It  set  forth  that  His  Majesty,  with  all  his 
titles,  had  heard  of  the  school  of  the  English 
priest  in  British  Burma,  and  the  good  that  the 
school  had  done  amongst  the  people,  and 
desired  (commanded)  that  I  should  go  up  to 
the  new  capital  city  of  Mandalay,  the  centre 
of  the  world,  and  there,  under  His  Majesty's 
patronage  and  support,  establish  a  similar 
Christian  school  for  the  benefit  of  his  people. 

Let  me  say  here  parenthetically  a  word  about 
the  parabike.  It  is  macerated  bamboo,  folded 
in  squares,  dyed  black,  and  the  writing  thereon 
is  almost,  if  not  quite,  as  permanent  as  that 
written  on  ordinary  writing  paper  with  pen 
and  ink. 

Promising  the  messenger  an  early  reply, 
and  making  an  appointment  for  our  next  inter- 
view, I  went  off  at  once  with  this  document  to 
our  Chief  Commissioner.  When  he  saw  the 
letter.  General  Fytche  showed  more  interest 
and  pleasure  in  it  than  I  had  ever  seen  him 
exhibit  before.  In  India  he  was  nicknamed 
the  Tanda  Machla,  or  the  Cool  Fish,  because 
he  was  never  excited.     Opening  his  own  budget 

158 


THE  CALL  TO  MANDALAY 

from  Mandalay,  he  found  a  letter  from  Major 
Sladen,  telling  him  that  the  King  had  written 
to  me,  and  was  very  anxious  that  I  should 
accept  his  invitation.  General  Fytche  was 
willing,  but  the  consent  of  the  Bishop  of 
Calcutta  and  the  Government  of  India  was 
needed. 

I  felt  certain  about  Bishop  Milman,  but 
anxious  with  regard  to  the  Foreign  Office  and 
the  Viceroy.  But  all  was  made  smooth.  I  was 
duly  told  that  under  certain  conditions  I  might 
go  to  Mandalay  at  Government  expense  as 
Chaplain  to  the  English  residents,  and  stay 
there  a  fortnight  or  so.  Accordingly,  on 
August  20th,  1868,  I  set  out  by  steamer,  accom- 
panied by  six  of  my  best  boys  from  St.  John's 
College.  At  Thayetmyo,  our  frontier  station, 
I  received  a  telegram  from  Government  telling 
me  not  to  enter  Burmese  territory  till  I  should 
hear  from  Major  Sladen  of  his  return  to  Man- 
dalay from  his  expedition  to  the  Shan  States. 
So,  both  as  missionary  and  chaplain,  I  went  up 
and  down  the  Irrawaddy  calling  at  all  our 
Mission  stations,  and  wherever  there  were 
Europeans  to  be  ministered  unto.  My  boys 
were  with  me,  and  in  order  to  keep  up  their 

159 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

English  they  had  to  write  a  diary  of  each 
day's  occurrences.  But  this  frequently  became 
monotonous.  There  is  not  much  to  be  recorded 
on  a  river  or  jungle  trip.  This  is  a  typical 
entry :  ''  Your  big  dog,  Lion,  stole  your 
dinner  and  got  a  beating.  We  were  very  sorry 
for  the  dog,  but  very  glad  to  have  some  cir- 
cumstance to  write  about." 

With  the  necessary  information  we  left 
Thayetmyo  in  a  crowded  and  dilapidated  steamer 
on  October  ist,  and  entered  the  King's  territory 
the  same  evening.  We  landed  at  Minhla,  the 
first  station  in  Upper  Burma,  and  went  to  pay 
our  respects  to  the  Wun,  or  Governor,  who 
by  royal  order  received  us  most  courteously. 
My  boys,  however,  came  back  wiser  and 
sadder.  According  to  Burmese  custom  they 
had  left  their  shoes  on  the  lowest  step  of  the 
great  man's  house,  and  equally  according  to 
Burmese  custom  the  shoes  were  stolen  before 
the  interview  was  ended. 

The  difference  between  the  country  under 
Burman  and  British  rule  was  very  marked. 
Physically  the  features  were  the  same  ;  but 
the  dwellings  of  the  people  in  the  towns  and 
villages  of  the   King's   dominions   were    mean 

i6o 


THE  CALL  TO  MANDALAY 

and  poor  compared  with  the  substantial  teak 
and  brick  houses  of  the  inhabitants  of  Lower 
Burma. 

We  stayed  one  night  at  Ye-nan-kyoung, 
the  creek  of  stinking  water  (i.e.,  petroleum), 
where  the  petroleum  wells  were  situated  on  a 
hill  about  one  or  two  miles  from  the  bank. 
With  much  difficulty  I  managed  to  get  on  to 
a  bullock  cart  and  ascend  the  hill  and  view 
the  operation  of  extracting  the  oil. 

I  looked  down  a  deep  well,  over  which  was 
a  cross-beam  with  a  wheel  and  a  long  rope 
attached  to  it.  At  the  end  of  the  rope  was  a 
metal  bucket  which  was  let  down  to  a  great 
depth.  At  the  bottom  of  the  well  one  could 
hear  a  bubbling,  and  a  fetid  gas  exuded  from 
it.  The  other  end  of  the  rope  was  bound  round 
the  body  of  a  stalwart  Burman,  who  ran  down 
the  hill  and  so  pulled  the  bucket  full  of  crude  oil 
up  the  well.  The  oil  thus  obtained  was  emptied 
by  hand  into  a  bamboo  tube,  whence  it  floated 
down  to  the  boats  on  the  river  bank.  The 
waste  through  leakage  marked  the  progress 
of  the  oil  all  the  way  down  to  the  river. 

The    oil    itself    was    like    greasy    treacle    of 

a  greenish  colour,  and  was  highly  valued  by 

i6i  II 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

the  Burmese  as  a  cure  for  skin  diseases.     The 
workers  all  enjoyed  marvellous  health. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  what  has  since 
become  a  staple  industry  of  Burma.  It  was 
then,  like  everything  else  in  Upper  Burma,  a 
royal  monopoly,  and  the  unfortunate  minister 
or  favourite  of  the  Crown  who  received  the 
promise  of  a  boat-load  of  earth-oil  at  the 
King's  valuation  by  no  means  congratulated 
himself  on  his  good  fortune. 

First  he  had  to  get  the  oil,  then  to  bring  it 
to  Mandalay,  then  to  find  a  market  for  it,  then 
to  pay  the  various  dues  and  duties  demanded, 
and  then  to  pocket  what  remained.  Oh,  the 
groans  that  I  have  heard  concerning  the 
transaction  !  The  King  thought  that  he  was 
conferring  a  royal  favour,  but  the  unfortunate 
recipient  knew  better. 

The  wonderful  change  that  has  come  over 
the  production  and  refinement  of  this  oil 
under  British  government  is  best  illustrated 
by  the  balance-sheets  of  the  various  companies 
now  associated  with  this  trade  which  show 
that  even  in  war  time  the  profits  of  one  of 
them  amounted  to  almost  £150,000. 


162 


CHAPTER  XIII 

FIRST   INTERVIEWS   WITH    KING    MINDON* 

A  1  rE  arrived  at  Mandalay  on  October  8th, 
^  ^  1868,  and  were  most  kindly  received 
by  my  old  friend  of  Maulmein  and  Rangoon, 
Major  Sladen,  the  British  Resident,  who  had 
much  to  tell  of  his  recent  expedition,  and  of 
the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Burmese 
Court.  The  Kalawun  and  other  officials  from 
the  Palace  came  several  times  to  see  us,  and 
to  inquire  on  behalf  of  the  King  whether  we 
had  all  that  we  needed.  Mandalay  was  then 
a  very  curious  place.  It  was  surrounded  by  a 
low  embattled  wall  each  side  of  which  was 
a  mile  and  one-eighth  long  :  it  stood  four- 
square, with  bastions  and  imposing-looking 
gates,  and  very  elegant  turrets  at  intervals. 
A  deep  moat  surrounded  the  city.     Only  the 

♦  cf.  Letter  i. 

163  II* 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

Palace,  courts  of  ministers  and  law,  and 
residences  of  the  nobility  and  their  relatives, 
occupied  the  enclosed  space.  The  roads  were 
good,  wide,  and  at  right  angles  through  the 
city.  Outside  the  walls  Hved  the  artisans 
and  foreigners,  Chinese,  natives  of  India, 
Europeans  of  all  nations,  Armenians,  etc.,  in 
all  comprising  perhaps  125,000.  I  held  ser- 
vices in  the  court-house  of  the  Residency  for 
the  Europeans. 

On  the  Monday  after  our  arrival,  we  had 
by  appointment  our  first  and  informal  or  semi- 
state  interview  with  the  King.  My  boys  and 
I  went  to  the  Palace  in  bullock  carts,  the  most 
uncomfortable  of  conveyances.  We  had  to 
climb  in  over  the  bullocks'  tails,  and  the 
bamboo  flooring  sloped  at  a  fearful  angle.  The 
wheels,  consisting  of  one  or  two  solid  blocks, 
had  probably  been  made  round  originally,  but 
they  had  worked  nearly  square.  The  roads 
outside  the  city  walls  were  terribly  bad,  so 
that  by  the  time  we  arrived  at  the  Palace  gates 
we  felt  that  our  Hmbs  w^anted  readjusting. 
We  had  to  walk  across  the  Palace  compound, 
no    umbrellas    or    sticks    of    any    kind    being 

allowed — only  as  a  Hpongyi  it  was  permitted 

164 


FIRST  INTERVIEWS  WITH  KING  MINDON 

for  one  of  my  boys  to  hold  a  large  fan  over 
my  head,  or  I  should  certainly  have  had  a 
sunstroke.  We  went  first  to  see  the  famous 
White  Elephant,  who  occupied  a  large  grandly 
painted  house  adjoining  the  Palace.  He  was 
a  huge,  restless,  savage  brute,  highly  pam- 
pered and  fed,  but  never  worked.  He  was 
white  only  in  a  technical  sense — to  an  ordinary 
observer  he  appeared  to  be  of  the  same  colour 
as  other  elephants.  He  had  killed  his  keeper 
a  few  days  before,  and  only  acknowledged  my 
visit  by  throwing  a  bundle  of  hay  at  me. 

We  then  ascended  the  grand  steps  of  the 
Hman-nan-daw  (the  true,  or,  perhaps,  the  glass 
palace),  having,  of  course,  left  our  shoes  this 
time  under  safe  custody  at  the  bottom  of  the 
steps.  We  found  ourselves  in  a  very  grand, 
large  hall,  splendidly  decorated,  with  magnifi- 
cent pillars  of  teak  covered  with  vermilion 
and  gold,  with  large  mirrors  from  France 
against  the  highly-adorned  walls,  and  the  floors 
covered  with  beautiful  and  costly  carpets. 

I  entered  into  conversation  with  many  of 
the  King's  ministers  of  State,  who  were  at- 
tended by  their  secretaries  and  clerks,  carrying 
their   portfoUos   of   black   paper   or   parahike, 

165 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

The  ministers  wore  long,  flowing  cloaks  or 
surplices  of  white  muslin  over  their  ordinary 
dress,  and  all  Burmans  had  a  small  fillet  of 
muslin  round  their  heads.  No  turban  or 
folded  dress  which  might  possibly  conceal  a 
lethal  weapon  was  allowed  in  the  Palace. 
Whilst  thus  talking  freely,  suddenly  there  was 
a  whisper,  "  Twet  daw  mu  thi/'  "  the  King  is 
coming  out !  "  Instantly  all  took  their  places 
on  knees  and  elbows  on  the  floor,  ranging 
themselves  in  rows  according  to  their  rank. 
I  was  shown  my  place,  a  nicely-carpeted  corner 
in  front  of  the  throne  to  the  King's  left.  Every 
head  (except  mine)  of  that  large  assembly  was 
bowed  to  the  floor.  I  had  been  told  to  sit, 
but  by  no  means  to  let  my  feet  be  visible.  It 
was  an  unusual  and  very  cramped  position. 

Doors  opened,  one  behind  another,  and  far 
in  the  distance  I  could  see  one  individual 
stalking  onward  in  solitary  dignity.  It  was 
the  King,  a  fine,  tall,  typical  Burman-looking 
man,  about  fifty-five  years  of  age,  very  dignified 
but  very  pleasant,  '*  every  inch  a  king.*'  He 
walked  on  to  the  dais,  which  was  covered 
with  crimson  cloth,  and  threw  himself  down 
on  a  beautiful  couch.     Several  of  the  princes, 

i66 


Photo  by^ 


[D.  A  .  Akuja,  Rangoon. 


King  Thibaw's  Throne. 


^Facing  p.  i66. 


FIRST  INTERVIEWS  WITH  KING  MINDON 

all  grandly  dressed,  came  in  at  a  lower  door 
and  took  their  places  near  me.  One  of  them 
crawled  up  on  hands  and  knees  and  placed 
the  emblems  of  royalty,  the  golden-handled 
sword,  the  gold  betel-box,  and  the  gold  spittoon, 
before  the  King.  His  Majesty  once,  as  a  token 
of  his  goodwill,  sent  a  gold  spittoon  as  a  present 
to  Queen  Victoria,  who,  in  acknowledging  the 
gift,  thanked  the  King  for  the  beautiful  flower 
vase  that  he  had  so  kindly  sent  her ! 

The  King  took  up  a  pair  of  binocular  glasses 
and  had  a  good  stare  round  the  Court.  When 
his  eyes  rested  upon  me,  and  my  boys,  who 
all  wore  their  school  badge  of  S.P.G.  on  their 
arm,  a  herald  sang  out  in  a  kind  of  monotone 
declaration  a  statement  about  us,  that  in 
obedience  to  the  royal  command  we  had  come 
from  Rangoon,  and  now  placed  our  heads 
under  the  Golden  Foot  and  waited  His 
Majesty's  further  commands.  Like  all  such 
recitations,  it  ended  with  the  long-drawn-out 
U  tin  hah  thi,  P  a  y  a,  'VMy  lord,  etc.'* 

In  a  very  soft  and  agreeable  voice  the  King 
began  to  ask  whether  I  had  had  a  pleasant 
journey  to  his  capital,  whether  I  was  happy 
and   comfortable   in   the   Residency,   how   old 

167 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

I  was,  etc.,  etc.  He  then  told  me  how  pleased 
he  was  that  I  had  come  at  his  invitation,  and 
he  desired  to  know  what  requests  I  had  to 
make  to  him,  assuring  me  that  all  were  granted 
before  they  were  asked.  I  told  him  that  my 
requests  were  :  i.  Permission  to  labour  as  a 
Christian  missionary  in  his  capital  and  country. 

2.  To  build  a  church  in  Mandalay  for  worship 
according  to  the  Use  of  the  Church  of  England. 

3.  To  get  a  piece  of  land  for  an  English  ceme- 
tery ;  and  4.  To  build,  with  His  Majesty's 
help,  a  Christian  school  for  Burmese  boys. 
With  regard  to  the  first,  the  King  said  that 
I  had  his  full  sanction  to  preach  my  religion 
in  his  dominions,  and  that  no  one  should  be 
molested  for  listening  or  even  for  becoming 
Christian. 

I  could  not  but  remember  what  different 
treatment  had  been  accorded  to  Dr.  Judson 
by  the  then  King,  who  spurned  the  offer  of  a 
Bible,  treated  the  missionary  with  contumely 
and  insult,  imprisoned  and  tried  to  starve  him 
at  Aung-pinlai,  and  even  purposed  to  have 
him  devoured  in  a  hon's  cage ;  from  which  fate 
the  missionary  was  saved  only  by  the  provi- 
dential  approach  of  the   British   army,   when 

168 


FIRST  INTERVIEWS  WITH  KING  MINDON 

his  services  were  required  as  an  interpreter. 
Nor  could  I  forget  that  only  a  few  months 
previously  several  Burmans  had  been  crucified 
by  royal  order  for  preaching  Buddhist  heresy, 
real  or  imagined,  and  that  the  British  Political 
Agent  had,  by  command  of  the  Viceroy, 
expressed  the  abhorrence  of  Her  Majesty's 
Government  of  such  cruelty  and  persecution 
for  conscience  sake.  With  regard  to  the 
cemetery,  the  King  directed  me  to  consult 
Major  Sladen,  and  his  ministers  would  give 
effect  to  our  wishes.  We,  of  course,  chose  the 
site  next  the  Roman  Catholic  and  Armenian 
cemeteries,  where  Mrs.  Sladen  and  several 
other  Europeans  were  already  buried.  It  was 
afterwards  enclosed  and  raised  by  means  of 
funds  suppHed  by  the  British  Government, 
and  it  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Milman  on 
his  first  visit  to  Mandalay. 

The  King  said  that  the  schools,  both  for 
boarders  and  day-scholars,  would  be  built  and 
maintained  at  his  expense  ;  that  they  would 
be  erected  according  to  the  Burmese  pattern, 
with  such  alterations  as  I  might  require. 

With  regard  to  the  Church  he  asked  me  to 
give  him  the  plans,  and  he  would  build  it  at 

169 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

his  own  cost.  I  mentioned  that  friends  in 
Rangoon,  Calcutta  and  England  would  gladly 
contribute  towards  the  expense.  The  King 
looked  proudly  at  me  and  said  :  *'  Nga  min 
be/  **  **  I  am  a  King,  I  want  no  assistance 
in  my  works  of  merit,"  for  such  he  deemed 
the  erection  of  church  and  schools.  The  only 
contribution  that  he  allowed  was  that  of  Her 
Most  Gracious  Majesty  Queen  Victoria,  who, 
when  she  heard  of  King  Mindon's  liberality, 
of  her  own  accord  sent  out  a  most  beautiful 
font  of  variegated  marbles,  in  token  of  her 
appreciation  of  the  King's  kindness. 

It  was  through  my  colleague,  the  Rev.  J. 
Trew,  that  Queen  Victoria  came  to  hear  of 
King  Mindon's  liberality  to  us  at  Mandalay. 
While  he  was  home  on  furlough,  and  preaching 
on  behalf  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Gospel  before  the  Queen  at  Whippingham, 
he  told  the  story  of  the  Mission  at  Mandalay, 
and  the  Queen  was  at  once  interested. 

While  I  am  speaking  about  Queen  Victoria, 
I  will  tell  another  story  which  concerns  her 
and  King  Mindon.  When  the  school  in  Man- 
dalay was  in  full  working  order,  and  the 
King's  sons  were  pupils  in  it,  a  general  holiday 

170 


FIRST  INTERVIEWS  WITH  KING  MINDON 

was  given  on  the  occasion  of  the  birthday  of 
Queen  Victoria. 

The  King,  finding  that  the  young  princes 
were  at  home  instead  of  being  in  school,  sent 
for  me  and  asked  me  what  the  school  was 
closed  for.  I  replied  that  it  was  the  24th  of 
May,  and  that  day,  being  the  English  Queen's 
birthday,  was  usually  observed  as  a  holiday 
in  all  the  best  English  schools. 

The  King  thought  for  a  moment,  and  then 
said  :  *'  But  why  don't  you  give  a  holiday  on 
my  birthday  ?  "  ''  Because,"  I  replied,  ''  I 
am  unaware  of  the  date  of  your  Majesty's 
birth.  If  you  will  tell  me  the  date  I  will 
gladly  give  a  holiday."  "  My  birthday,"  re- 
plied the  King,  "  is  Tuesday,  every  Tuesday  !  " 

The  school  was  to  be  for  a  thousand  boys. 

The   King  asked  me  when  it  was  ready  if  I 

would    undertake    the    English    education    of 

some  of  his  sons.     Of  course  I  replied  that  I 

would  most  gladly  do  so.     '*  What  age  would 

be  suitable  for  the  princes  to  come  to  school  ?  " 

I  suggested  from  twelve  to  fourteen  as  a  good 

age.     He   turned  to  one  of  his  servants  and 

said  :     "  Bring   to   my  presence   all  my  royal 

sons  who  are  about  twelve  or  fourteen  years 

171 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

old."  Nine  boys  were  produced.  His  Majesty 
had  a  very  large  family,  and  laughed  heartily 
at  me  when  I  asked  him  the  total  number  of 
his  sons  and  daughters.     He  had  no  children  ! 

The  King  asked  me  if  I  could  procure  him^ 
machinery  and  other  merchandise.  I  told  him 
distinctly  that  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  pohtics 
or  commerce — being  simply  a  religious  teacher, 
and  as  such  earnestly  desirous  to  serve  the 
King  and  his  people.  My  answer  seemed  to 
please  him  at  the  time,  but  the  proposal  was 
afterwards  again  and  again  made  to  me. 

When  the  interview  had  lasted  about  two 
hours,  the  King  concluded  it  by  inviting  my 
boys  and  myself  to  breakfast  in  the  Palace  for 
the  following  day,  and  by  accepting  the  beauti- 
fully bound  books  which  the  Calcutta  S.P.G. 
Committee  had  sent  as  my  present. 

The  next  day  we  went,  as  commanded,  to 
the  Palace  ;  Major  Sladen  was  too  poorly  to 
accompany  us.  My  boys  were  Moung  Gyi 
(now  a  most  respectable  well-to-do  merchant) ; 
Moung  Ba  Tu  (now  an  Extra- Assistant  Commis- 
sioner and  K.S.M.,  the  highest  provincial  title 
of  honour)  ;  Moung  Ba  Ohn  (now  barrister- 
at-law  in  good  practice  in  the  Enghsh  Courts 

172 


■^ij^ 


!te^:. 

'^~T~ 

c    -  A 

ii 

^ 

r 

H9 

£ 

1 

;^-^-„- 

.=:iCr^ 

1 

ff 

r~"~ 

\ 

- 

VflS 

eri^s:^ 

'i 

r/. 

^M 

^SSe^ 

K 

m/m.'ftfimu- 


tt  s 


FIRST  INTERVIEWS  WITH  KING  MINDON 

in  Upper  Burma) ;  Moung  Tsan  Hla  Oung 
(an  Arakanese,  now  schoolmaster  in  Akyab)  ; 
and  Moung  Po  Ming,  who  died  some  years  ago. 
The  King  was  magnificently  dressed,  and  had 
the  order  of  the  Tsalwe  of  twenty-four  strands 
of  gold  crossed  over  his  breast,  and  he  was 
adorned  with  beautiful  rubies,  diamonds  and 
sapphires.  Several  of  the  queens  and  prin- 
cesses were  with  him.  He  was  more  stately 
and  ceremonious  than  on  the  previous  day, 
but  equally  kind  and  pleasant. 

My  boys  prostrated  themselves,  as  did  the  other 
Burmans,  whilst  I  squatted  down  in  a  cramped 
position,  being  obliged  to  keep  my  feet  out  of 
sight.  The  King  was  seated  on  the  highest 
of  a  flight  of  six  steps.  He  began  by  asking 
if  I  was  comfortably  housed  and  cared  for. 
He  reiterated  his  promises  of  the  day  before, 
and  expressed  his  hope  that  all  would  not  be 
in  vain.  He  made  me  tell  him  about  each  boy, 
and  he  addressed  some  kind  words  to  them. 
I  presented  him  with  a  telescope,  and  the  boys 
gave  a  lot  of  English  toys  to  the  young  princes. 
In  return  the  King  gave  two  putsoes^  valued 
at  £3,  to  each  boy.  I  also  presented  to  the  chief 
Queen,  through  His  Majesty,  a  box  of  beautiful 

173 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

needle  and  crochet  work  made  and  presented 
by  the  Burmese  girls  in  Miss  Cooke's  school. 
The  King  pulled  out  two  or  three  pieces  of 
work,  but  did  not  seem  to  know  much  about 
them.  He  tossed  them  to  the  ladies  behind 
him,  who  evidently  valued  them  highly. 

The  King  began  to  talk  to  the  boys  about 
rehgion.  He  told  them  that  they  should  not 
Hghtly  forsake  their  ancestors'  creed.  I  inter- 
posed, when  he  laughingly  said  :  ''  Oh,  Hpon- 
daw-gyi  "  (**  high  Hpongyi,"  the  name  he  always 
gave  me),  "  I  and  you  will  talk  about  these 
matters  alone  by  ourselves."  I  replied  that  I 
should  be  delighted  to  converse  with  His 
Majesty  on  those  subjects,  which  were  of  the 
highest  moment  to  all  mankind.  The  King 
said  that  he  only  wanted  to  guard  the  boys 
against  being  rash  and  foolish,  or  changing 
their  rehgion  to  please  men  ;  that  he  was  per- 
fectly tolerant ;  that  he  had  never  invited  a 
Mussulman,  Hindu,  or  Christian  to  become  a 
Buddhist,  but  that  he  wished  all  to  worship 
according  to  their  own  way. 

He  told  me  to  make  what  use  I  pleased  of 
his  steamers  between  Mandalay  and  Rangoon, 
and  to  grant  passages  to  and  fro  to  any  bpys 

174 


FIRST  INTERVIEWS  WITH  KING  MINDON 

whom  I  might  wish  to  send.  We  were  then 
conducted  to  another  apartment,  where  a 
sumptuous  breakfast  was  served  to  us  in 
English  style.  My  boys  and  I  sat  down  to 
table,  the  Burman  attendants  wondering  to 
see  our  lads  freely  using  knives  and  forks 
instead  of  the  orthodox  fingers  in  eating. 
Suddenly  my  boys  all  slipped  off  their  chairs 
on  to  the  ground,  and  when  I  looked  up  to  see 
the  cause,  I  found  that  one  of  the  elder  princes, 
a  lad  of  about  seventeen,  had  entered,  having 
been  deputed  by  his  father  to  see  that  all  was 
right. 

Next  morning  I  went  again  to  the  Palace 
with  my  boys,  to  take  the  plans  for  the  school 
and  teachers'  residence.  He  approved  of  the 
plan  with  one  exception,  viz.,  that  the  school 
must  not  have  a  triple  roof,  such  being  only 
for  princes  and  Hpongyis.  My  house  is  to  be 
so  honoured.  The  King's  Minister  for  Pubhc 
Works  was  called  into  the  presence  and  ordered 
at  once  to  commence  the  work,  and  to  use  all 
expedition  in  its  completion.  The  King  gave 
me  £ioo  towards  school  furniture.  I  told 
him  that  I  would  procure  a  plan  in  Rangoon 
for   the   church.     He   repeated   that  it   would 

175 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

trouble  him  very  much  if  no  EngHsh  Hpongyi 
came  to  Mandalay.  I  assured  him  that  his 
HberaUty  would  not  be  so  despised,  but  that 
I  really  would  return  myself  and  open  the 
school. 

After  some  further  general  conversation  the 
King  spoke  to  the  boys,  and  especially  to  the 
Arakanese  boy  whom  I  had  adopted  in  1863. 
He  repeated  what  he  had  said  before  about  not 
forgetting    the    religion    of    his    ancestors.     I 
said  that  the  boy's  ancestors  had  not  heard  the 
good   news   which    I    taught   him.     The    King 
took  no  notice  of  what  I  said,  but  continued 
to  the  boy,  '*  Always  remember  the  Yittana  thon 
ba  (the  three  objects  of  devotion),  the  Pay  a 
(Buddha),   Taya  (law),   and   Thinga  (clergy).'' 
I  said:    ''Christianity  teaches  us  to  worship 
the  everlasting  God,  to  obey  His  law,  and  to 
receive    instruction    from    the    clergy."     The 
King  seemed   annoyed   for   a   time,   and   then 
repeated  in  his  usual  good-humoured  manner  : 
"  I    cannot    talk   with   you   about   religion    in 
pubhc,  we  will  talk  about  it  privately  on  your 
return."     He  added  :    ''Do  not  think  me  an 
enemy    to    your    rehgion.     If    I    had    been    I 
should  not  have  called  you  to  my  royal  city 

176 


FIRST  INTERVIEWS  WITH  KING  MINDON 

If,  when  you  have  taught  people,  they  enter 
into  your  behef,  they  have  my  full  permis- 
sion ;  "  and  then,  speaking  very  earnestly : 
"  If  my  own  sons,  under  your  instruction,  wish 
to  become  Christians,  I  will  let  them  do  so. 
I  will  not  be  angry  with  them." 

The  Kalawun  told  the  King  that  he  had  heard 
me  pray  for  the  health,  happiness  and  pros- 
perity of  the  Burmese  King  and  the  royal 
family  in  our  service  on  the  previous  Sunday. 
I  gave  him  a  copy  of  the  prayer  for  himself 
and  for  our  Queen  Empress  in  the  vernacular, 
and  also  the  Confession  and  other  parts  of  the 
Prayer  Book.  He  read  several  portions  aloud, 
and  seemed  to  be  deeply  interested. 

I  had  two  further  interviews  with  the  King 
on  the  30th  and  31st  of  October.  I  went  to 
the  Palace  with  my  boys  on  Friday,  October 
30th.  After  repeating  what  he  had  said 
before.  His  Majesty  asked  whether  we  had 
me  thila  yin  (nuns)  like  the  Roman  Cathohcs. 
He  said  that  he  thought  that  some  English 
ladies  would  be  very  useful  in  Mandalay,  and 
that  he  would  give  all  possible  help  in  their 
work. 

I  replied  that  we  felt  it  better  not  to  begin 
177  12 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

too  many  things  at  once,  but  that  when  our 
church,  boys'  school  and  residences  were  built, 
we  should  be  delighted  to  further  His  Majesty's 
wishes  to  have  lady  teachers  for  the  prin- 
cesses and  other  girls.  His  Majesty  repeated 
that  it  would  make  him  look  very  fooUsh  in 
the  eyes  of  his  subjects  if,  after  all  he  was 
doing  for  us,  no  missionary  were  to  be  sent 
to  use  the  church  and  to  teach  the  boys.  I 
replied  again  that  everything  would  be  done  to 
prevent  such  disappointment. 

His  Majesty  made  me  come  on  the  following 
day  to  take  leave.  Accordingly,  on  Saturday, 
the  31st,  I  took  two  of  my  boys  to  the  Palace. 
The  King  assured  me  that  he  would  hasten 
on  the  work,  which  would  be  completed 
regardless  of  expense.  He  then  placed  before 
me  two  bags,  each  containing  Rs.  500,  one  as 
a  contribution  to  the  work  of  the  Rev.  P. 
Marks,  my  brother,  who  was  a  missionary  in 
Ceylon,  the  other  a  personal  present  to  myself. 

I  said  that  though  assured  of  His  Majesty's 
goodwill,  I  would  accept  no  such  present. 
This  refusal  was  Hkely  to  have  caused  some 
unpleasantness.  The  Kalawun  earnestly  re- 
quested me  to  accept  it.     So,  addressing  the 

178 


FIRST  INTERVIEWS  WITH  KING  MINDON 

King,  I  said  that  it  was  not  the  custom  of 
EngHsh  missionaries  to  accept  such  presents 
for  themselves,  but  that  if  His  Majesty  would 
allow  me  to  be  his  almoner,  I  had  many  ways 
of  using  his  money  so  as  to  do  good  to  others, 
and  I  would  send  an  account  of  all  through 
Captain  Sladen. 

His  Majesty  at  once  assented  and  entered 
into  a  long  and  pleasant  conversation  about 
English  schools,  books,  etc.  He  wished  to  have 
the  ''  Encyclopaedia  Britannica "  translated 
into  Burmese,  and  he  asked  me  to  bring  up 
about  fifty  of  my  Rangoon  schoolboys  for 
that  purpose  !  He  asked  me  to  leave  one  or 
two  of  my  present  boys  with  him,  promising 
that  he  would  take  care  of  them,  but  no  boys 
wished  to  stay  without  me. 

We  saw  the  work  of  building  the  schools 
actually  begun — the  portion  of  land  adjoining 
the  British  Residency  carefully  staked  out 
and  surrounded  with  a  royal  fence,  and  on  All 
Saints'  Day  I  solemnly  dedicated  our  cemetery, 
until  it  could  be  properly  consecrated,  with  a 
short  service,  to  which  all  Europeans  were 
invited.  We  left  Mandalay  on  November 
2nd,  with  deep  thankfulness  to  the  great  King 

179  12* 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

of  kings,  who  has  taught  us  in  His  Holy  Word 
that  the  hearts  of  kings  are  in  His  rule  and 
governance,  and  that  He  doth  dispose  and 
turn  them  as  seemeth  best  to  His  Godly 
Wisdom.  We  stayed  a  while  at  Thayetmyo, 
Prome,  Myan-aung,  and  Henzada,  greatly 
cheered  by  the  progress  of  the  work  in  all 
those  stations,  and  by  the  open  door  which 
presented  itself  at  so  many  other  places. 

On  returning  to  Rangoon  I  had  to  stay  a 
while  to  allow  the  Rev.  C.  Warren  to  go  to 
Calcutta  for  his  priest's  ordination,  and  Mr. 
Chard  for  deacon's  orders.  Then  Bishop 
Milman  summoned  me  to  Calcutta  to  confer 
with  himself,  the  Government,  and  the  Calcutta 
Committee  respecting  the  new  work  in  Upper 
Burma.  It  was  not  regarded  in  India  and 
Burma  with  the  same  enthusiasm  as  that  with 
which  the  news  was  received  in  England. 
There  were  not  wanting  those  who  utterly 
mistrusted  the  King,  disbelieved  his  promises, 
and  tried  to  dissuade  me  from  going  up  again 
lest  he  should  seek  occasion  to  injure  me  and 
the  work  which  he  could  not  love.  The 
wildest  rumours  were  circulated,  amongst 
others,  that  a  Burman  Christian  teacher  from 

i8o 


FIRST  INTERVIEWS  WITH  KING  MINDON 

our  Myan-aung  school  had  been  beheaded  for 
walking  in  a  Mandalay  monastery  with  his 
shoes  on.  Telegrams  to  and  from  Myan-aung 
soon  assured  us  that  the  teacher  had  never 
left  his  station,  but  was  diligently  doing  his 
work  there.     So  with  many  similar  rumours. 

But  these  were  all  quieted  when  I  had  the 
opportunities  which  the  chaplains  afforded 
me  of  telling  the  true  story  in  the  Rangoon 
churches,  and  my  friends  then  came  forward 
willingly  with  funds  and  promises  of  help  for 
the  endowment  of  the  work,  which  all  felt 
should  be  secured  against  any  possible  change 
of  mind  of  the  King,  or  of  a  different  Govern- 
ment. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

VISIT  TO   SIR   JOHN   LAWRENCE 

T  WENT  up  to  Calcutta  and  was  the  guest  of 
-■'  Bishop  Milman  and  his  devoted  sister.  I 
was  taken  ill  on  the  voyage,  and  for  the  first  day 
or  two  after  my  arrival  was  unfit  for  work. 
But  there  was  much  to  be  done  with  regard 
to  the  Society^s  operations  and  plans  both  in 
Upper  and  British  Burma. 

My  time  in  Calcutta  was  fully  occupied  in 
earnest  consultation  with  the  Bishop  and  the 
Rev.  J.  Cave-Browne,  the  Secretary  of  the 
S.P.G.  Committee.  The  Bishop  and  Miss 
Milman  had  one  of  their  wonderful  ''  At 
Homes/'  whereto  came  Rajahs  and  Zemindars, 
and  clergy  and  ladies,  native  and  European, 
and  his  Excellency  Sir  John  Lawrence,  the 
Viceroy  and  Governor-General  of  India.  The 
Bishop   introduced   me   to   him,    and   after   a 

182 


VISIT  TO  SIR  JOHN  LAWRENCE 

few  minutes'  conversation  his  Excellency  in- 
vited me  to  breakfast  and  talk  at  Government 
House  on  the  following  day. 

Sir  John  Lawrence  was  a  very  homely, 
kindly,  but  determined  ruler,  greatly  disliking 
pomp  or  show,  humble-minded  yet  decisive  in 
his  utterances.  Many  were  the  stories  that 
one  heard  of  his  simple  habits,  his  love  of  busi- 
ness, his  firm  decision  as  a  ruler.  One  story 
relating  to  the  Koh-i-noor,  the  then  largest 
diamond  in  the  world,  which  was  in  his  custody 
as  Governor-General  preparatory  to  its  being 
sent  to  Queen  Victoria,  illustrates  his  in- 
difference to  the  pomps  and  vanities  of  the 
world. 

The  mode  of  sending  the  jewel  was  being 
debated  by  the  Viceregal  Council  at  Govern- 
ment House,  with  Sir  John  presiding.  One 
member  asked  very  pertinently  :  *'  Where  is 
it  now  ?  "  Sir  John  said  afterwards  that  his 
blood  ran  cold,  for  he  remembered  that  for 
several  nights  it  had  reposed  in  the  jacket 
pocket  of  his  pyjama  suit,  which  was  at  that 
moment  hanging  up  in  the  bath-room.  Ex- 
cusing himself  for  a  few  minutes,  he  rushed 
into  the  room,  and,  to  his  great  relief,  found 

183 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

it  wrapped  up  in  a  bit  of  tissue  paper  safe  in 
his  pocket ! 

Our  breakfast  was  a  very  simple  meal,  and 
when  it  was  finished,  we  adjourned  to  the 
library,  where  His  Excellency  began  at  once 
concerning  my  proposed  obedience  to  the 
King  of  Burma's  command.  He  said  that  he 
had  studied  the  subject  in  various  aspects, 
and  with  the  advice  of  his  counsellors,  who 
knew  Burma  well,  he  was  opposed  to  the 
project  on  political  grounds. 

The  two  Burmese  wars  of  1825  and  1853 
had  been  fearfully  expensive  in  blood  and 
treasure.  We  had  conquered  and  made  a 
division  of  the  country  which,  with  all  its 
difficulties,  he  hoped  to  be  permanent.  This 
was  the  first  infraction  of  the  understanding 
that  foreign  missionaries  should  not  be  sent 
to  Upper  Burma,  and  although  the  initiative 
came  from  the  King  himself,  His  Excellency 
could  not  divest  himself  of  the  feeling  that 
it  contained  the  seeds  of  future  poHtical  trouble. 
He  further  pointed  out  the  possibilities  to 
myself  by  instancing  the  sufferings  of  Dr. 
Judson  and  other  American  missionaries  before 

the  last  war. 

184 


VISIT  TO  SIR  JOHN  LAWRENCE 

He  acknowledged  that  King  Mindon  was  a 
good  monarch,  but  he  pointed  out  that  as  a 
ruler  he  was  a  failure  in  that  he  was  ruling  for 
the  people  instead  of  governing  them,  and 
so  on.  With  all  this  I  perfectly  agreed. 
*' But,"  I  said,  ''my  knowledge  of  the  con- 
ditions of  Burma  convince  me  that  its  annexa- 
tion by  us  is  only  a  matter  of  time." 

Sir  John  rose  from  his  chair  with  more  anger 
than  I  deemed  him  capable  of,  and  said  :  ''If 
you  wish  to  remain  a  friend  of  mine,  you  will 
never  use  that  hateful  word  '  annexation  '  in 
my  presence  again.  Let  me  say,  once  and  for 
all,  we  cannot  afford  to  annex  Upper  Burma. 
We  neither  desire  it  nor  are  we  capable  of  ac- 
complishing it.  Annexation  has  been  the  cause 
of  troubles  without  end.  We  had  a  disturbed 
frontier  on  the  Punjab  of  forty  miles.  We 
therefore  went  to  war,  and  now  we  have  a 
disturbed  frontier  on  the  Punjab  of  four 
hundred  miles,  and  the  Indian  Mutiny  as 
another  consequence. 

"  The  Indian  princes  and  peoples  got  to 
distrust  us,  and  all  because  of  the  policy  of 
annexation.  With  all  its  imperfections,  it  is 
desirable  that  the  treaty  with  Upper  Burma 

185 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

should  stand.  Never  let  it  be  so  much  as 
whispered  that  there  is  any  thought  of  annexa- 
tion. What  we  all  feel  here  with  regard  to 
your  scheme  is  that  the  Burmese  King,  who, 
with  all  his  excellences  and  weaknesses,  is  an 
astute  ruler,  wishes  to  get  you  into  his  power 
for  two  reasons.  One  of  theni  is  flattering  to 
yourself ;  he  has  heard,  as  we  all  know,  of  your 
work  for  Burmese  boys  in  British  Burma. 
He  wishes  to  stop  that  work  because  it  is 
antagonistic  to  the  Buddhism  of  which  he  is 
the  acknowledged  secular  head.  The  other 
reason  is  that  he  wishes  to  utiHze  you  politi- 
cally, and  if  you  should  not  come  up  to  his 
expectations  in  this  respect,  you  will  be  im- 
prisoned or  murdered,  and  we  shall  have 
trouble  with  the  Burmese  Government,  which 
is  just  the  very  thing  which  we  wish  to  avoid. 
Don^t  go.'^ 

I  replied  that  I  fully  appreciated  all  that 
His  Excellency  had  said,  and  that  I  greatly 
regretted  that  I  had  incautiously  used  a  word 
which  he  from  his  deep  experience  deprecated. 
But,  with  regard  to  the  King's  wish,  while  I 
acknowledged    that    such    designs    might    be 

uncharitably  attributed  to  a  Western  potentate, 

i86 


VISIT  TO  SIR  JOHN  LAWRENCE 

I  firmly  believed  that  the  invitation  or  com- 
mand was  an  answer  to  my  continued  prayer, 
and  that  unless  obedience  to  it  were  rendered 
impossible,  I  certainly  would  obey  it.  I  deter- 
mined that  while  I  was  in  Mandalay  I  would 
absolutely  refrain  from  all  politics,  whether 
secret  or  open.  That  as  regards  personal 
risks  of  possible  dangers,  I  entirely  disregarded 
them,  for,  as  I  was  acting  in  obedience  to 
God's  call,  I  should  be  under  His  protection, 
and  I  did  not  desire  any  other. 

Sir  John  rested  his  head  between  his  hands 
and  for  some  moments  was  in  deep  thought. 
Then,  coming  to  me,  he  said  :  *'  I  see  that  you 
are  determined  to  go.  We  will  not  hinder 
you.  Only  distinctly  understand  this,  that 
you  go,  not  as  an  envoy  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment, but  entirely  on  your  own  responsibility. 
With  whatever  may  happen  to  you  we  have  no 
concern.  If  you  are  imprisoned  or  get  killed 
in  any  way,  it's  of  no  use  your  crying  out  to  us 
to  come  and  help  you.  We  will  do  nothing  of 
the  kind." 

I  replied  :  "I  assure  your  Excellency  that 
under  those  circumstances  I  will  be  perfectly 
quiet!"     Sir  John  burst  out  laughing.      ''Go 

187 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

my  dear  fellow/'  he  said,  "  and  God's  blessing 
be  with  you.  Only  be  very  careful."  Later 
on  in  the  day  he  sent  me  a  cheque  for  Rs.  500 
towards  expenses. 


z88 


CHAPTER  XV 

WORK   IN   MANDALAY 

T  RETURNED  in  better  health  and  spirits 
^  to  Rangoon,  and  heard  that  the  King 
was  faithfully  fulfilling  his  promises,  and  that 
the  schools  and  my  residence  would  be  ready 
by  the  time  that  I  could  begin  work.  So  with 
several  tame  boys  and  pupil-teachers  I  set  out 
again  for  Mandalay. 

I  left  Rangoon  on  April  6th,  1869.  My 
voyage  up  the  Irrawaddy,  accompanied  by 
ten  of  my  best  boys  from  St.  John's  College, 
was  necessarily  slow,  as  I  wished  to  visit,  per- 
haps for  the  last  time,  all  my  riverine  schools. 

I  inspected  the  school  at  Zalun,  but  by  a 
misunderstanding  with  the  captain,  the  river 
steamer  failed  to  call  for  me,  and  I  had  to 
walk  seventeen  miles  to  Henzada.  We  set  out 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  dressed  in  our 

189 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

lightest.  It  was  nearing  the  end  of  the  dry 
season  and  about  the  hottest  part  of  the  year. 
Our  path  lay  along  the  bank  of  the  river, 
which  was  then  at  its  lowest.  The  ground 
was  hard  and  seamed  with  deep  fissures 
through  the  heat. 

We  stopped  on  our  way  at  a  large  village 
called  Doungyi,  where  the  Burmese  magis- 
trate begged  me  to  stay  and  do  what  I  could 
for  his  son,  one  of  my  pupils,  who  was  suffer- 
ing from  fever.  I  gave  him  some  quinine,  and 
I  heard  with  great  pleasure  afterwards  that 
he  had  recovered ;  but  we  bitterly  regretted 
the  delay,  for  it  prolonged  our  journey  into 
the  heat  of  the  day. 

We  trudged  on  and  on,  and  there  was  abso- 
lutely no  shelter.  I  never  was  a  good  walker 
and  became  more  and  more  distressed,  but 
at  length  we  entered  the  long  straggling  town 
of  Henzada,  where,  although  the  road  was 
now  sheltered  in  parts,  I  seemed  to  experience 
more  distress  than  ever,  and  at  last,  more 
dead  than  alive,  I  arrived  at  the  Government 
Circuit  House. 

I  had  barely  reached  the  central  room, 
where    my    kind    friend    Colonel     Plant    was 

190 


WORK  IN  MANDALAY 

awaiting  me  with  breakfast,  when  I  fell  down 
on  the  floor,  utterly  unable  to  stand.  He 
very  wisely  and  kindly  threw  a  lot  of  cold 
water  over  me  and  took  other  measures  which 
restored  me  to  consciousness  and  some  degree 
of  vitality.  But  my  cruel  walk  inflicted  injury 
upon  me  from  which  to  this  day  I  have  not 
recovered. 

I  found  that  the  school  was  doing  well  and 
was  full  of  promise.  It  required  more  super- 
vision than  I  could  give  it  with  my  multifarious 
duties,  but  it  was  full  of  promise. 

I  next  went  on  to  Myan-aung,  where  our 
school  had  been  established  under  the  patron- 
age of  Major  Hildebrand.  It  was  well  cared 
for  by  the  Christian  residents  and  was  doing 
well.  I  then  went  on  to  Prome,  where  I  con- 
ducted service.  At  Thayetmyo  I  called  several 
meetings  of  the  Burmese,  and  went  with  two 
or  three  of  them,  and  collected  in  two  days 
over  Rs.  600  for  the  new  school.  But  the 
exposure  to  the  fierce  heat  of  the  sun  which 
I  encountered  during  my  canvass  in  the 
bazaar,  brought  on  a  serious  indisposition  and 
I  was  obliged  to  return  to  Prome. 

My  instructions  from  the  Bishop  were  that 
191 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

I  was  not  to  proceed  to  Mandalay  until  I 
heard  from  Major  Sladen  that  the  buildings 
were  sufficiently  advanced.  I  therefore  re- 
mained at  Prome  and  acted  as  chaplain  of 
that  place  until  June  2nd,  when,  hearing 
satisfactory  news  from  Major  Sladen,  I  pro- 
ceeded on  my  journey  to  Mandalay  where  I 
arrived  on  June  7th,  1869. 

After  a  few  days'  stay  at  the  Residency,  I 
removed  into  the  grand  Clergy  House  (or 
Hpongyi  Kyoung)  which  the  King  had  built 
for  me,  and  as  soon  as  possible  we  opened  the 
S.P.G.  Royal  School  for  boarders  and  day- 
scholars  of  several  nationalities.  I  had  several 
very  interesting  interviews  in  public  and  pri- 
vate with  the  King,  whose  kindness  was  very 
great.  At  one  of  these  he  again  asked  me  to 
receive  his  sons  as  pupils  at  our  school.  I 
replied  that  I  should  be  dehghted.  They 
came,  very  grandly  dressed,  and  kneeled  down 
before  their  father,  who  said  to  me,  *'  I  deUver 
them  over  to  you." 

They  appeared  to  be  very  bright  and  in- 
teUigent  lads,  and  I  willingly  accepted  the 
trust.  But  knowing  the  punctilious  etiquette 
of  Burmese  royalty,  I  ventured  to  suggest  that 

192 


WORK  IN  MANDALAY 

nine  princes  would  be  too  great  an  honour  to 
begin  with,  and  that  I  should  prefer  to  com- 
mence with  four.  The  King  consented,  and 
on  the  following  Monday  morning  the  Shwe 
Koo,  Mine  Done,  Thibaw  and  Thagara  Princes 
came  to  school.  One  of  my  Rangoon  pupils 
rushed  into  my  room  and  said  :  **  Teacher, 
the  princes  are  coming,"  I  looked  out,  and 
there  were  the  four  princes,  mounted  on  four 
royal  elephants,  two  gold  umbrellas  held  over 
each,  and  forty  followers  in  *'  undress  uni- 
form "  behind  each  elephant.  The  long  pro- 
cession came  up  to  my  door  ;  the  elephants 
knelt  down,  and  the  princes  descended  and 
came  up  into  my  room.  I  had  prepared  a  lot 
of  mechanical  toys,  telescopes,  etc.,  for  the 
entertainment  of  the  princes.  But  their  fol- 
lowers rushed  up,  pulled  off  the  table  cover, 
and  threw  it  and  all  my  pretty  things  into 
the  corner,  and  put  the  princes'  spittoons  and 
waterpots  on  the  table. 

I  suggested  that  we  had  better  cross  over 
to  the  school  hall.  On  our  arrival  we  found 
twenty-five  boys  seated  at  their  desks.  But 
as  soon  as  the  princes  entered  every  boy, 
according  to  Burmese  custom,  went  down  flat 

193  13 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

on  the  floor — none  dare  stand  or  sit  in  the 
presence  of  royalty.  I  said :  "  Boys,  get  up 
to  your  desks.  The  princes  have  come  here 
not  as  King's  sons  (min  thas)  but  as  scholars  '* 
(kyoung  thas,  literally  "sons  of  the  school"). 
But  though  I  repeated  this  three  or  four  times 
no  boy  moved.  At  length  I  went  forward  and 
pulled  up  one  boy,  who  looked  very  miserable 
and  frightened.  As  soon  as  I  released  him  to 
raise  up  number  two,  he  went  down  flat  upon 
his  face  again — worse  than  at  first.  It  was, 
of  course,  impossible  for  me  to  teach  pupils 
in  that  position,  and  I  was  greatly  perplexed. 
But  turning  round  to  the  princes,  I  saw  that 
they  were  shaking  with  laughter.  So  I  said  : 
'*  Please  tell  those  boys  to  get  up  and  go  on 
with  their  work."  The  eldest,  the  Shwe  Koo 
Prince,  said  :  **  Oh,  you  fellows,  you  are  not 
to  be  frightened  at  us.  We  are  your  school- 
fellows ;  get  up,  and  go  on  as  if  we  were  not 
here."  One  by  one  the  boys  crept  up  to  their 
seats.  But  school  worked  very  stiffly  for  a 
day  or  two,  until  the  boys  and  teachers  got 
famihar  with  the  royal  pupils. 

Very  soon  all  came  right.     I  have  never  had 
more  gentle,  docile,  and  intelHgent  pupils  than 

194 


WORK  IN  MANDALAY 

were  these  princes,  and  I  was  glad  when  all 
the  nine  came — though  it  was  more  hke  a  pro- 
cession of  Sanger's  Circus  through  the  streets 
than  that  of  pupils  coming  to  school.     It  was 
the  King's  express  wish  that  his  sons  were  to 
be  educated  in  exactly  the  same  subjects  and 
in   the   same   way   as   the   other   pupils   were 
being  taught.     Especially  he  desired  that  they 
should   be    instructed    in    our    Holy    Religion, 
that  they  should  consider  and  decide  when  they 
came  to  a  proper  age  which  was  the  better — 
Buddhism  or  Christianity.     In  accordance  with 
our  invariable  custom  in  all  our  S.P.G.  Mission 
schools,   every   day's    work   was    begun   with 
prayer  for  God's  blessing,  and  to  every  pupil 
every  day,  instruction  in  the  Christian  religion 
was   given   as  he   was   able   to   bear  it.     The 
King  was  particularly  interested  in  this  sub- 
ject, and  liked  to  see  day  by  day  his  sons' 
Scripture  lessons,  which  were  very  often  the 
subject  of  conversation  when  I  went  to  the 
Palace,  which,  at  the  King's  request,  I  did  very 
frequently.     To  faciUtate  my  visits  he  bought 
for  me  a  beautiful  carriage  (technically  called 
a  Madras  Nibs),  drawn   by  two  trotting   bul- 
locks.    But  I  had  many  a  weary  waiting  in 

195  13* 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

the  Palace,  where  there  were  no  chairs,  and 
the  only  seats  were  folds  of  carpet  on  the 
floor.  After  hours  of  this  posture  my  limbs 
ached,  and  I  was  fit  for  very  little  on  my 
return  to  the  Clergy  House. 

Major  Sladen,  just  before  proceeding  on 
leave  on  account  of  his  health,  took  a  photo- 
graph of  our  school,  which  showed  the  four 
Ko  daws  (princes). 

We  played  cricket  on  Thursdays  and  Satur- 
days, and  the  young  princes  entered  very 
heartily  into  the  game. 

I  must  here  tell  one  characteristic  anecdote 
of  His  Majesty.  Shortly  after  the  princes 
came  to  school,  the  King  asked  me  whether 
I  would  allow  them  to  be  absent  on  the  days 
of  Buddhist  worship — i.e.^  the  New  Moon, 
the  8th  waxing,  the  Full  Moon,  and  the  8th 
waning  day.  I  replied  that  it  was  not  the 
custom  of  our  Mission  schools  to  recognize 
these  days,  and  that  as  a  Christian  Hpongyi 
I  could  not  sanction  any  of  my  pupils'  absence 
on  those  days ;  but  that  still  it  was  com- 
petent for  His  Majesty,  as  a  father,  to  keep 
his  sons  from  school  whenever  he  chose.  The 
King    replied :     '*  Quite    right.     I    know    that 

196 


WORK  IN  MANDALAY 

you  wish  to  teach  my  sons  what  is  good.  I 
wanted  you  to  recognize  my  right  to  keep  them 
away  when  I  desire,  but  you  will  have  no 
cause  to  complain  of  their  irregularity.'* 

The  other  pupils  from  the  Palace  were  called 
Lapet  ye  daw  thus — i.e.y  sons  of  tea — because 
they  hand  tea  to  the  King.  They  were 
entitled  to  a  yellow  silk  umbrella,  and  each 
had  a  dozen  or  so  of  followers.  Most  of  them 
were  over  twenty,  and  married  !  The  King 
ordered  them  to  school,  and  they  came  when 
they  could  find  no  plausible  excuse  for  staying 
away.  They  naturally  found  their  family 
arrangements  incompatible  with  their  schol- 
astic duties.  Still,  some  of  them  made  good 
progress,  and  in  school  they  were,  like  all 
Burmese  boys,  excellent  pupils. 

Both  in  Mandalay  and  in  Rangoon  I  often 
had  married  men  as  schoolboys.  I  remember 
once  seeing  a  big  schoolboy  bullying  a  small 
boy  in  the  school  playground.  I  called  them 
both  up  into  my  house,  and,  without  waiting 
for  any  explanation,  immediately  administered 
a  sound  thrashing  to  the  big  boy.  After  I 
had  finished,  I  said  :  **  Do  you  know  why  I 
have  beaten  you  ?  '' 

197 


k 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

He  replied  :    "  No." 

I  said  :  "  It  is  time  that  you  understood 
that  I  do  not  allow  big  boys  to  bully  small 
ones  in  my  school/* 

The  big  boy  gave  a  sickly  smile  and  repHed  : 
"  Please,  sir,  he  is  my  son  !  *' 

It  was  a  pretty  sight  to  see  the  boys  come 
to  school.  Some  came  on  richly-dressed  ponies, 
some  in  beautifully  carved  little  carts  drawn 
by  trotting  bullocks,  some  on  elephants,  and 
some  on  men's  shoulders.  We  had  a  large 
bell,  weighing  360  lbs.,  cast  in  the  Palace.  In 
the  compound  there  was  a  special  builSing 
called  the  Ane  daw,  or  royal  house,  where  the 
princes  spent  the  recess  from  twelve  to  one 
daily. 


198 


CHAPTER  XVI 

CONSECRATION   OF   MANDALAY   CHURCH 

npHE  King  was  in  haste  to  redeem  his 
-■'  promise  to  build  the  church.  I  could 
not  get  plans.  But  I  had  old  numbers  of  the 
Illustrated  London  News,  containing  a  picture 
of  the  new  chapel  of  St.  John's  College,  Cam- 
bridge, and  with  the  help  of  this  I  pieced 
together  a  picture  of  a  church  that  I  thought 
would  be  suitable,  and  a  friend  in  the  Public 
Works  Department  in  Rangoon  drew  working 
plans.  We  got  the  posts  into  the  ground — 
grand  teak  pillars — when  Bishop  Milman  and 
his  chaplain,  the  Rev.  A.  0.  Hardy,*  came 
up. 

The  church  was  not  ready  for  consecration, 
but  the  Bishop  approved  of  our  plans,  and 
solemnly    dedicated    all    our    buildings,     and 

♦  Cf.    Letters  3-9, 
199 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

examined  our  scholars,  the  princes  included, 
and  awarded  prizes.  His  lordship  held  a 
Confirmation  in  the  pretty  little  Oratory  of  the 
Clergy  House,  and  consecrated  our  cemetery. 
The  latter  was  a  work  of  some  difficulty,  for 
the  waters  of  the  Irrawaddy  were  out,  and  the 
road  to  the  place,  and  the  land  itself,  were 
submerged.  We  had  to  wade  to  the  spot,  and 
we  had  to  walk  round  on  the  low  wall  of  the 
cemetery,  there  being  a  couple  of  feet  of  water 
on  each  side  !  We  were  much  cheered  by  the 
Bishop^s  visit,  and  went  on  heartily  with  the 
church  building. 

I  should  have  mentioned  that  on  Sep- 
tember 1st,  at  the  request  of  the  Lord 
Bishop,  conveyed  through  me,  and  in  the 
presence  of  three  of  the  King's  sons,  the 
Armenian  priest,  and  of  all  the  principal 
European  residents  and  many  Burmese  officials. 
Major  E.  B.  Sladen,  the  British  Political 
Agent,  with  Captain  G.  Strover,  Assistant 
Pohtical  Agent,  publicly  laid  the  foundation- 
stone  of  the  church.  The  Kalawun,  specially 
deputed  by  the  King,  said  :  ''I  beg  to  assure 
you  that  the  spot  on  which  we  are  now 
assembled  is  part  of  the  land  which  is  publicly 

200 


CONSECRATION  OF  MANDALAY  CHURCH 

given  by  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Burma 
for  the  purposes  of  religion  and  education  in 
connection  with  the  Church  of  England,  and 
also  that  His  Majesty  has  promised  to  defray 
all  the  expenses  of  the  erection  of  this  church, 
as  he  has  already  paid  for  the  building  of  the 
English  Christian  School  and  Clergy  House." 

The  Bishop  came  up  again  next  year  (1873) 
with  his  chaplain,  the  Rev.  Edgar  Jacob 
(afterwards  Lord  Bishop  of  St.  Albans),  for 
the  consecration  of  the  church. 

They  arrived  on  July  25th,  and  the  King 
sent  for  me  at  once  to  inquire  whether  the 
Bishop  was  well,  and  if  he  was  satisfied  with 
the  church  and  schools.  Having  reassured 
him  on  this  point,  it  was  arranged  that  the 
Bishop  should  visit  the  Palace  on  the  follow- 
ing Monday.  On  that  day  the  Bishop,  Mr. 
Jacob,  the  Bishop's  doctor,  and  some  of  my 
elder  boys,  went  to  the  Palace,  and  were  met 
at  the  bottom  of  the  stairs  by  the  Mine  Done 
prince,  who,  having  met  the  Bishop  on  his 
previous  visit,  and  speaking  a  little  English, 
was  deputed  to  conduct  his  lordship  to  the 
audience  hall. 

We   had   scarcely   arranged   ourselves   com- 
201 


Forty  years  in  burma 

fortably,  when  the  doors  were  thrown  opeil 
and  the  King,  beautifully  dressed  and  at- 
tended by  three  or  four  little  children,  walked 
in  and  threw  himself  on  a  couch  at  the  raised 
part  of  the  room.  He  took  up  his  binoculars 
and  had  a  good  look  at  the  Bishop.  The  usual 
questions  were  asked  as  to  the  Bishop's  age, 
and  the  King  laughed  to  find  that  he  was 
younger  than  himself. 

The  Bishop  then  earnestly  thanked  His 
Majesty  for  the  beautiful  church,  school  and 
clergy  house  which  he  had  built. 

His  Majesty  rephed  that  he  could  not  help 
doing  what  I  asked  him,  that  he  loved  me  as 
if  I  were  his  own  son,  and  that  the  Bishop 
must  not  change  me  for  any  other  Hpongyi. 
But  yet,  that  I  was  too  haughty  and  im- 
patient ! 

His  Majesty  then  spoke  of  his  earnest  wish 
for  the  continuance  and  increase  of  friendliness 
between  his  country  and  the  English  Govern- 
ment, and  many  compHments  passed  between 
the  King  and  the  Bishop  on  this  head,  who 
promised  to  tell  Lord  Northbrook  all  that  the 
King  said,  assuring  His  Majesty  that  his 
pacific    and     friendly    sentiments     would    be 

202 


CONSECRATION  OF  MANDALAY  CHURCH 

cordially  reciprocated  by  the  Governor-General. 
The  conversation  was  in  danger  of  becoming 
political,  but  the  Bishop,  with  excellent  tact, 
turned  it  off  into  other  channels. 

The  King  gave  his  lordship  a  beautiful  ruby 
ring,  which  the  Bishop  would  have  fain 
declined,  but  I  begged  him  to  accept  it,  and 
by  His  Majesty's  order,  I  put  it  on  his  finger. 
The  King  wished  to  defray  all  the  Bishop's 
charges  till  he  should  reach  Calcutta,  but  this 
his  lordship  kindly  but  firmly  declined. 
Further  conversation  ensued,  when  the  King, 
bidding  me  come  privately  to  him  on  Wednes- 
day, rose  and  left  us,  though  not  so  abruptly 
as  he  usually  departs  on  such  occasions. 

The  next  day  the  Bishop  and  his  chaplain 
held  an  examination  of  the  school.  The  boys 
were  quite  taken  aback  when  the  Bishop  com- 
menced. One  fainted  away,  but  recovered, 
and  came  out  second  in  the  school.  His 
lordship  sent  the  following  report  to  the  King  : 
**  I  carefully  examined  the  Royal  S.P.G.  school, 
which  is  a  very  good  school.  Its  tone  and 
character  are  high.  I  have  examined  most 
of  the  schools  all  over  India,  and  can  there- 
fore  speak   with   confidence.     The   school   has 

203 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

improved  considerably  under  its  present 
teacher,  Mr.  Mackertoom.  The  number  of 
pupils,  ninety- two,  is  much  increased,  and 
those  who  have  grown  up  and  left  are  likely 
to  be  useful  members  of  society.  The  school 
is  a  real  benefit  to  His  Majesty's  subjects." 

The  church  was  consecrated  on  the  31st  of 
July.  Nearly  all  the  European  residents  in 
Mandalay,  including,  besides  Englishmen, 
French,  Italians,  Armenians  and  East  Indians, 
were  present  at  the  service.  The  Shwe  Koo 
prince  came  alone,  as  his  brother,  the  Mine 
Done,  had  an  attack  of  fever,  which  pre- 
vented his  coming.  The  Kinwun  Mingy i^  the 
head  of  the  embassy  which  visited  England 
and  Europe,  came  attended  by  the  Yaw  atwin 
wun,  Minister  of  the  Interior,  the  Myo  wun, 
city  magistrate,  and  the  Kala  wun^  representing 
His  Majesty. 

The  collection  at  the  service  amounted  to 
forty  pounds,  of  which  I  am  glad  to  say  the 
prince  gave  ten  pounds. 

Before  the  prince  and  the  ministers  left  to 
report  the  proceedings  to  the  King,  I  asked 
the  former  how  he  Hked  the  service.  He 
replied  :    *'  It  was  very  good  and  the  singing 

204 


CONSECRATION  OF  MANDALAY  CHURCH 

very  pleasant,  but  it  was  a  long  time  to  be 
without  a  cheroot !  "  He  was  a  great  smoker, 
and  when  he  was  at  school  got  leave  every 
hour  for  a  pull  at  his  cigar.  During  the 
service  he  and  the  ministers  and  all  heathen 
Burmans  sat  in  the  aisles,  according  to  our  rule. 

After  luncheon,  when  more  than  forty 
people  sat  down,  the  Bishop  chaffed  me  on  the 
'*  missionary  hardship  "  of  having  to  live  in 
my  beautiful  clergy  house.  I  meant  to  have 
made  a  good  speech,  but  I  utterly  broke  down, 
as  my  heart  was  too  full  at  the  reahzation  of 
the  fulfilment  of  a  project  which  had  been 
so  frequently  and  persistently  hindered.  With 
regard  to  my  beautiful  house,  however,  I 
could  not  help  recalling  what  my  friend 
Dr.  Mason,  the  veteran  American  Baptist 
missionary,  had  said  to  me — that  I  was,  as  it 
were,  occupying  a  pretty  villa  on  the  slope  of 
a  volcano  ! 

Soon  after  this  I  was  joined  by  an  English 
schoolmaster,  who,  however,  did  not  stay 
long,  as  I  preferred  to  work  with  my  own 
trained  and  very  efficient  assistants,  natives 
of  the  country,  all  of  whom  have  done  well 
since  in  various  capacities. 

205 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

Matters  went  on  very  smoothly  for  a  couple 
of  years,  and  then  there  gradually  came  a 
coolness  on  the  part  of  the  King.*  Little  diffi- 
culties had  often  arisen  from  the  first,  too 
trivial  perhaps  for  record,  but  as  time  went  on 
they  gradually  increased.  The  King  sent  more 
boys,  boarders  and  day  pupils,  to  the  school, 
but  the  monthly  payments  became  more  and 
more  irregular.  Once,  when  arrears  amounted 
to  Rs.  500,  the  King  sent  only  Rs.  200.  I  sent 
this  back,  that  I  might  bring  to  his  personal 
notice  that  the  work  was  not  being  conducted 
for  my  private  benefit,  and  that  I  had  none 
but  his  funds  to  maintain  the  school. 

For  a  few  days  the  King  was  angry  and  did 
not  call  me.  Then  he  sent  for  me  and  was  as 
pleasant  as  usual.  But  he  said  :  "  You  did 
wrong  to  send  back  royal  money.  If  my  highest 
minister  had  done  so,  he  would  have  been 
dragged  out  of  the  Palace  by  the  hair  of  his 
head.*'  I  assured  His  Majesty  that  I  had  no 
wish  to  offend  him,  and  that  as  to  the  penalty, 
my  baldness  would  render  its  infliction  in  my 
case  an  impossibility !  The  King  laughed 
heartily  and  called  the  queens  to  enjoy  the 

*  C/.  Letters  17-19. 
206 


CONSECRATION  OF  MANDALAY  CHURCH 

joke,  and  at  once  paid  up  the  arrears.  But 
he  hated  to  pay  regularly,  and  I  was  compelled 
to  ask  him  to  do  so.  Then  he  persistently 
asked  me  to  get  him  some  guns  and  rifled 
cannon,  which,  of  course,  I  neither  could  nor 
would. 

At  last  one  day,  in  a  private  room,  he  un- 
folded a  plan  by  which  I  could,  as  he  thought, 
be  of  great  service  to  him.  I  was  to  go  to 
England  in  his  sea-going  steamer,  the  Tsitkai- 
yin-hyan,  taking  with  me  two  or  three  of  the 
princes,  and  when  I  got  to  London  I  was  to 
tell  Queen  Victoria  how  good  he  had  been,  and 
ask  her  to  give  back  to  his  Government  Bassein 
or  Rangoon,  that  he  might  have  a  seaport  of 
his  own.  Of  course  I  pointed  out  the  impos- 
sibility of  my  undertaking  anything  of  the 
kind.  He  got  very  angry,  and  said  hastily  : 
*'  Then  you  are  of  no  use  to  me."  But  he 
soon  recovered  his  good  temper  and  talked 
pleasantly  as  others  came  into  the  room.  But 
I  never  saw  him  again.  We  were  heavily  in 
arrears.  I  went  to  the  Palace,  but,  on  various 
excuses,  could  not  obtain  an  audience  or  any 
money,  and  at  last  the  King  said  that  he  did 

not  want  me  any  more,  and  that  I  had  better 

207 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

leave  his  capital,  adding  that  my  life  might 
be  in  danger  if  I  stayed. 

I  sent  back  word  that,  having  come  by  his 
invitation,  I  certainly  should  not  leave  except 
at  my  appointed  time,  some  eight  months 
later,  and  I  stayed  on,  and  went  on  with  my 
work.  The  princes  ceased  their  attendance, 
though  they  took  every  opportunity  of  sending 
me  kind  loving  messages  and  presents.  But 
the  school  filled  with  paying  pupils,  and  was 
really  more  efficient  than  when  under  royal 
patronage. 

I  was  joined  by  Mr.  James  Alfred  Colbeck, 
of  St.  Augustine's,  Canterbury,  and  he  was 
of  wonderful  assistance  in  those  days  of 
trouble.  Full  of  zeal,  energy,  and  piety,  he 
worked  nobly  as  a  layman,  and  then  as  an 
ordained  missionary  afterwards  in  Rangoon, 
Maulmein  and  Mandalay,  where,  after  the  war 
in  1883,  he  was  the  first  priest  in  charge  of 
our  church,  and  where  he  died  in  1888,  leaving 
a  record  which  must  always  live  in  the  story  of 
the  Church's  work  in  Burma.  His  noble  self- 
devotion,  his  unflinching  courage  and  earnest 
labours,  demand  a  separate  history.  It  is 
written  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Burma 

208 


CONSECRATION  OF  MANDALAY  CHURCH 

and  of  all  who  knew  him.  *'  He  rests  from  his 
labours  and  his  works  do  follow  him." 

I  kept  on  with  the  work  of  the  school  and 
church,  and  of  visiting  pastorally  Bhamo  and 
Myingyan.  The  new  Chief  Commissioner  of 
Burma,  the  Hon.  Ashley  Eden,  was  by  no 
means  favourable  to  our  Mission  work.  He 
tried  by  threats  to  induce  the  Calcutta  Com- 
mittee to  sell  St.  John's  College  for  a  Govern- 
ment secular  High  School.  I  protested  indig- 
nantly against  such  a  proposal,  and  the  Bishop 
supported  me,  and  it  and  the  threats  had  to 
be  withdrawn.  His  lordship  wrote  to  me, 
'*  The  Viceroy,  Lord  Northbrook,  has  just 
been  in  my  room  with  a  letter  from  the  Chief 
Commissioner  of  Burma,  asking  me  to  order 
you  to  leave  Mandalay,  as  your  life  is  not 
safe  there.  I  replied  that  it  is  not  our  custom 
to  recall  missionaries  from  their  posts  on  the 
first  appearance  of  danger,  and  that  you  had 
my  permission  to  leave  whenever  you  chose 
to  do  so." 

There  was  really  no  danger,  and  I  continued 
to  have  no  door  to  my  house  or  guard  to  my 
gate,  and  none  made  me  afraid.  At  last,  at 
the    appointed   time,   January   25th,    1875,    I 

.'509  14 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

was  relieved  by  the  Rev.  John  Fairclough, 
and  with  many  of  my  pupils  I  departed  in 
state  from  the  royal  city.  I  could  not  help 
saying,  as  the  steamer  was  leaving  and  I  took 
a  stern  view  of  the  place,  that  I  would  not 
return  to  Mandalay  until  the  British  flag  floated 
over  it  1  My  prophecy  was  fulfilled  when 
I  revisited  it  ten  years  afterwards,  and 
preached  to  the  garrison  of  British  regiments 
in  the  hall  of  the  royal  palace— itself  the 
temporary  chapel  of  the  troops. 


210 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE   FIRST  BISHOP   OF   RANGOON 

F^OR  a  few  weeks  I  resumed  charge  of  St. 

'■'  John's  College,  and  then,  leaving  it 
under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Colbeck  and 
Mr.  H.  W.  Wootton,  I  took  my  much-needed 
second  furlough  to  England  via  Calcutta. 
There  I  dined  with  Bishop  Milman,  who  gave 
me  a  kind  letter  to  his  relative,  the  Marquis 
of  Salisbury,  then  Minister  of  State  for  India. 
It  was  my  last  meeting  with  the  dear  good 
Bishop,  whose  noble  work  for  God's  Church 
in  India  was  drawing  to  a  close.  He  was,  as 
ever,  exceedingly  kind  to  me,  and  spoke  of  his 
contemplated  retirement  and  of  the  need  for 
a  Bishop  for  Burma.  I  never  saw  him  again. 
He  died  at  Rawal  Pindi  just  before  I  returned 
to  Calcutta,  March  15th,  1876. 

I  greatly  enjoyed  my  furlough  in  England, 
211  14* 


k 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

and  the  deputation  work  for  the  S.P.G. 
Everyone  was  exceedingly  kind  to  me.  I  had 
long  and  pleasant  interviews  with  Lord  Salis- 
bury, and  I  preached  in  the  Oxford  University 
pulpit,  and  in  many  other  cathedrals  and 
churches.  Archbishop  Tait  gave  me  a  Bible 
for  our  College  chapel,  Brighton  College  gave 
the  Service  books,  Liverpool  College  the  organ, 
and  St.  Margaret's,  Liverpool,  the  Altar  vessels. 
I  was  saddened  by  the  news  of  the  death  of 
the  Rev.  Charles  Warren,  the  devoted  mis- 
sionary to  the  Karens.  He  died  of  over-work 
at  Toungoo,  and  his  wife  soon  followed  him  to 
the  grave.  The  Rev.  T.  W.  Windley  then 
offered  himself,  and  was  accepted,  for  the  work 
as  his  successor,  remaining  at  his  post  till 
1882,  when  illness  compelled  his  retirement, 
to  the  deep  regret  of  all  who  knew  his  devoted 
and  efficient  labours. 

I  returned  to  Burma  early  in  1876,  taking 
with  me  a  student  from  St.  Augustine's,  who, 
however,  did  not  stay  long  in  Burma,  but  has 
done  useful  work  in  New  Zealand. 

On  my  return  to  Rangoon  I  found  the  Mis- 
sion work  greatly  extended.  I  resumed  charge 
of  the  College  and  Mission — which  under  the 

212 


THE  FIRST  BISHOP  OF  RANGOON 

zealous  care  of  Mr.   Colbeck  had  grown  con- 
siderably. 

Boys  flocked  into  the  school,  which  was 
soon  filled  to  overflowing,  and  our  chapel  was 
too  small  for  our  congregation.  Although  the 
Government  Secular  School  had  been  estab- 
lished as  "  a  rival  institution/*  we  could  not 
find  room  for  the  many  applicants  for  admis- 
sion. By  the  help  of  Government,  Sir  Rivers 
Thompson  having  succeeded  as  Chief  Commis- 
sioner, and  that  of  many  other  friends,  I  built 
a  tectum  J  or  covered  play-room,  eighty  feet  by 
forty  feet.  But  before  it  was  half  finished 
I  resolved  to  add  ten  feet  by  forty  feet,  and 
join  it  on  to  our  school  hall,  and  to  make 
more  dormitories  and  class-rooms.  This  we 
did,  and  we  had  a  grand  opening  day  at  which 
the  Chief  Commissioner  and  all  the  great  people 
of  Rangoon  were  present.  Soon  we  found  the 
hall  inconveniently  large,  and  the  chapel  far 
too  small.  So  we  shut  off  the  new  part,  and 
turned  the  old  hall  into  a  very  beautiful  chapel, 
which  was  duly  licensed,  and  in  which  we  put 
the  handsome  font  which  friends  in  Bucking- 
ham, led  by  the  Rev.  C.  P.  Trevelyan,  had 
given  to  us.     This  chapel  has  now  again  become 

213 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

very  much  too  small  for  our  native  Christian 
congregation,  and  we  are  making  great  efforts 
to  build  a  proper  church  or  college  chapel  on 
land  which  the  Government  has  given  us,  as 
I  have  before  mentioned. 

The  Right  Reverend  Dr.  Johnson  (whom,  as 
Archdeacon  of  Chester,  I  had  met  a  few  months 
before  in  Liverpool),  the  newly-appointed  Metro- 
politan, very  shortly  after  his  arrival  in  India 
paid  a  visit  to  Burma,  examined  the  College, 
and  held  a  confirmation  in  our  chapel.  He  also 
made  new  arrangements,  some  of  which  I 
ventured  to  think  were  premature  though 
well  intended,  in  the  Mission  work. 

Shortly  after  his  departure  we  were  glad- 
dened by  the  news  that  Burma  had  been 
created  into  a  separate  see,  and  that  a  well- 
known  clergyman  of  the  Diocese  of  Win- 
chester, which  had  been  foremost  in  aiding  the 
S.P.G.  and  S.P.C.K.  in  providing  funds  for 
the  endowment,  had  been  consecrated  as  the 
first  Bishop  of  Rangoon,  and  was  on  his  way 
out.  It  was,  indeed,  joyful  news.  Bishop 
Cotton,  in  his  primary  Charge,  had  urged  the 
necessity  for  a  Bishop  of  Burma.  Bishop 
Milman,   with   all   his   love   for   the   Burmese 

214 


THE  FIRST  BISHOP  OF  RANGOON 

and  the  missionaries,  had  tried  in  vain  to  get 
Madras  to  take  our  spiritual  oversight,  and 
almost  his  last  words  to  me  were,  "Do  your 
best  to  get  a  real  Bishop  for  Burma."  What- 
ever fears  we  may  have  entertained  with  regard 
to  the  prelate  first  selected,  on  account  of  his 
age  and  his  previous  work,  all  vanished  when 
he  came  among  us. 

Though  sixty  years  of  age.  Bishop  Jonathan 
Holt  Titcomb  was  full  of  energy  and  zeal,  a 
real  hard  and  diligent  worker,  an  excellent  ad- 
ministrator, and  one  of  the  kindest  and  most 
lovable  of  men.  I  very  soon  became  his 
private  chaplain,  and  remained  so  during  the 
whole  of  his  episcopate  in  Burma.  His  house 
was  next  door  to  St.  John's  College,  and  he 
visited  us  daily.  He  had  a  class  twice  a  week 
of  our  elder  studerffs  for  Bible  study.  When- 
ever we  had  baptisms  of  converts  he  loved  to 
be  present.  He  preached  regularly  in  our 
chapel,  and  always  had  private  intercession 
with  our  boys  before  their  confirmation. 

We  had  then  a  large  number  of  Chinese  who 

desired   admission  into   our  Church  by   Holy 

Baptism.     The    work    amongst    them    began 

whilst    I    was   in   England,   and   Mr.    Colbeck 

215 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

very  earnestly  prepared  them.  I  took  up  the 
work  with  them  on  my  return.  On  most 
careful  inquiry  I  could  discover  no  base  or 
unworthy  motive  amongst  them.  Not  only 
did  they  not  ask  for  money  or  other  such  help, 
but  they  regularly  subscribed  to  the  chapel, 
schools  and  orphanage — all  were  well-to-do 
tradesmen  or  artisans.  But  we  felt  it  our 
duty  to  be  cautious,  and  when  we  heard  of  the 
Bishop's  appointment  we  resolved  to  await 
his  arrival,  and,  in  accordance  with  the  rubric 
before  the  Service  for  the  Baptism  of  Adults, 
to  seek  his  lordship's  guidance  and  sanction. 
Nor  was  the  Bishop  less  guarded  and  cautious. 
He  had  several  private  interviews  with  each 
individual  candidate  and  frequent  services  of 
preparation,  all  with  a  thoroughly  quahfied 
interpreter. 

At  length,  having  fully  satisfied  himself 
and  us,  and  the  members  of  our  other  Christian 
native  congregations,  of  the  sincerity  of  the 
candidates,  the  Bishop  publicly  baptized  over 
forty  Chinamen  on  Sunday  morning,  in  the 
presence  of  a  large  congregation  of  all  nation- 
alities in  the  pro-cathedral,  the  Chief  Commis- 
sioner  and   several   other   high   officials   being 


THE  FIRST  BISHOP  OF  RANGOON 

amongst  the  witnesses.  Neither  then,  nor 
ever  since,  by  those  Chinese  Christians,  nor  by 
any  others  whom  we  missionaries  have  baptized, 
has  a  single  case  occurred  where  a  convert 
has  asked  for  pecuniary  assistance.  On  the 
contrary,  they  have  been  our  hberal  sup- 
porters. If  the  work  amongst  them  so  happily 
begun  has  not  made  commensurate  progress, 
the  delay  must  be  attributed  to  lack  of  mis- 
sionaries and  to  other  causes  of  which  I  may 
not  now  speak  particularly.  We  loved  our 
Bishop,  and  felt  that  in  him  we  had  a  zealous 
colleague,  a  firm  supporter  and  a  kind  friend. 


^17 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THIBAW 

A  MONG  the  princes  who  came  to  the 
^  ^  school  at  Mandalay  there  is  one  in 
particular  of  whom  I  must  now  speak  at 
length,  because  about  this  time  he  became  King 
of  Burma.  His  name  was  Thibaw.  While 
at  our  school  (he  was  number  twenty-seven  !) 
he  was  a  quiet,  inoffensive,  docile  lad,  without 
any  particular  vice  or  virtue  to  distinguish 
him  from  the  other  boys  of  his  age. 

He  was  obedient  and  orderly  and  gave  but 
little  trouble.  He  never  presumed  for  one 
moment  on  his  position  to  expect  any  prefer- 
ential treatment.  True,  he  had  no  expecta- 
tion of  coming  to  the  throne,  and  even  if  he 
had,  it  is  exceedingly  doubtful  if  such  ex- 
pectations would  have  materially  altered  his 
attitude,  for  he  was  of  a  modest  and  trustful 
disposition,  easily  influenced  for  good  or  for 

2J8 


THIBAW 

eviL  Unfortunately  he  was  not  long  enough 
with  us  to  strengthen  the  good  points  of  his 
character.  Let  me  here  tell  the  story  of  how 
Thibaw  came  to  the  throne. 

In  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the 
country,  King  Mindon  had  four  wives  who 
were  queens  and  many  other  subordinate 
wives.  These  latter  were  chosen  where  the 
King  wished.  If  he  saw  a  beautiful  girl  and 
admired  her,  she  became  his  wife.  If  a 
tributary  prince  offered  his  daughter  to  the 
King,  she  was  accepted  as  a  lower  wife. 

Two  at  least  of  King  Mindon's  chief  queens 
were  his  half-sisters.  These  were  the  Laungsh6 
princess — who  became  the  mother  of  King 
Thibaw — and  the  Hsin  -  byu  -  ma  -  shin,  the 
notorious  queen-mother,  whose  daughter, 
Supayalat,  married  Thibaw,  and  was  the  cause 
of  all  the  troubles  which  subsequently  over- 
took him.  I  have  often  seen  these  two  queens 
of  King  Mindon.  What  became  of  the 
Laungshe  princess,  the  mother  of  Thibaw,  is 
not  known.  She  seems  to  have  fallen  into 
disgrace  and  to  have  lived  and  died  in  ob- 
scurity, w^hich  may  mean  a  good  deal  in  a 
country  like  Burma. 

219 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

The  Hsin-byu-ma-shin  was  the  chief  queen 
at  Mindon's  death.  She  had  three  daughters 
but  no  son,  and  all  these  daughters  became 
Thibaw's  wives.  They  were  called,  Supayagyi, 
i.e. J  the  great  princess,  Supayagale,  or  the 
little  princess,  and  Supayalat,  the  middle 
princess. 

On  his  death  at  the  age  of  sixty-five,  after 
a  reign  lasting  twenty-six  years,  King  Mindon 
had  no  fewer  than  seventy  sons,  but  he  had 
not  named  a  successor,  and  the  law  of  primo- 
geniture did  not  prevail  in  Burma ;  indeed, 
it  could  not,  as  Mr.  Scott  O'Connor  has  pointed 
out,  in  a  country  where  kings  marry  so  many 
wives. 

Thus  it  came  about,  to  quote  Mr.  Scott 
O'Connor  once  more,  that  *'  grave  issues  were 
involved  in  the  question  of  the  King's  health. 
Should  he  die,  it  was  certain  that  a  struggle 
for  the  throne  would  take  place  among  his 
sons.  In  this  struggle  many  Hves  would  be 
taken,  disorder  would  ensue,  and  the  country 
would  be  plunged  into  the  agonies  of  civil  war. 

"  All  these  things  had  happened  before  in 
Burmese  history.  But  it  was  unhkely  that 
they  would  be  suffered,  without  interruption, 

220 


THIBAW 

to  occur  again ;  for  across  the  frontier  lay 
a  province  of  the  British  Empire,  and  the 
British  Empire  was  tired  of  the  vanities  and 
pretensions  of  the  Burmese  Court.  .  .  .  The 
issue  of  the  King's  illness  was  awaited  with 
anxiety — amongst  others,  by  a  handful  of 
Enghshmen  at  the  royal  capital,  whose  very 
existence  was  likely  to  depend  on  the  turn 
that  events  might  take. 

"  One  of  them,  writing  in  September,  1878, 
gives  a  graphic  account  of  the  situation.  '  I 
am  expecting  and  watching,'  he  says,  *  for  the 
arrival  of  refugee  princes  escaping  from  an 
expected  massacre.  We  do  not  know  whether 
the  King  is  alive  or  dead,  and  expect  to  hear 
wild  outbursts  of  confusion  every  moment.'  .  .  . 

**  The  Queen  won  over  the  ministers,  and  it 
only  remained  to  secure  by  some  signal  act 
of  treachery  the  persons  of  all  the  rival  can- 
didates to  the  throne.  They  were  summoned 
accordingly  on  the  12th  of  September,  1878, 
to  visit  the  King  in  his  chamber.  Believing 
the  Order  to  emanate  from  him  they  came. 
Immediately  on  entering  the  Palace  they  were 
seized  and  thrown  into  prison." 

Two  only  of  the  princes  ultimately  suc- 
221 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

ceeded  in  escaping,  and  my  colleague,  the  Rev. 
James  Colbeck,  was  instrumental  in  saving 
their  lives.  He  has  left  the  following  account 
of  what  took  place  :  *'  A  lady  of  the  Palace 
came  to  me  dressed  as  a  bazaar  woman,  and 
shortly  after,  about  a  dozen  others  came.  I 
had  to  take  them  in  and  secrete  them  as  well 
as  possible.  A  few  minutes  afterwards  there 
came  in  a  common  coolie,  as  I  thought. 

**  I  got  up  and  said  :    '  Who  are  you  ?  ' 

*'  He  said  :  '  I  am  Prince  Nyoung-yan ; 
save  me/ 

'*  He  was  terribly  agitated  and  escaped  from 
a  house  in  which  he  was  confined,  and  his  uncle 
had  been  cut  down — not  killed — in  opening  a 
way  for  the  prince  to  escape.  So  soon  as  dusk 
came  we  dressed  up  our  prince  as  a  Tamil 
servant  and  smuggled  him  into  the  Residency 
compound,  right  under  the  noses  of  the  Bur- 
mese guard  at  the  gate.  He  carried  a  lamp 
and  held  an  umbrella  over  me,  as  it  was  rain- 
ing, and  I  spoke  to  him  as  a  servant  until  the 
coast  was  clear.*' 

For  a  few  months  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  Thibaw  reigned  peaceably,  and  a  mani- 
festo was   issued   that   he   was  to   govern   by 

222 


THIBAW 

means  of  a  council,  and  that  all  monopolies 
were  to  be  abolished.  But  when  he  heard  of 
the  British  disaster  at  Isandhalwana,  Thibaw 
thought  that  there  was  no  longer  cause  to 
fear  Great  Britain,  and  he  proceeded  to  put 
out  of  the  way  all  possible  and  probable  rivals. 
In  a  few  days  eighty-six  of  his  blood  relations 
were  either  battered  or  choked  to  death  or 
buried  alive,  and  a  large  number  of  their 
friends  perished  with  them.  The  Hpoung 
Wun  was  the  chief  agent  of  the  massacre  and 
he  revelled  in  dashing  young  children  against 
the  wall  and  committing  other  barbarities  in 
the  presence  of  Thibaw  and  Supayalat,  who 
heartily  applauded. 

Supayalat  was  the  instigator  of  this  and  the 
subsequent  atrocities  which  marred  the  reign. 
As  a  child  I  had  known  her  to  be  cruel  an^ 
vindictive.  Her  mother  knew  of  her  weak- 
ness, and  instead  of  correcting  it  she  condoned 
it.  Talking  to  me  one  day  about  her,  she 
said :  **  Yes,  she  is  a  bad  boy.  She  has 
always  been  a  bad  boy,"  using  the  masculine 
gender  as  a  term  of  endearment.  As  far  as  I 
was  able  to  judge,  it  seemed  to  me  that  the 
mother's   idea   was   that   by   encouraging   her 

223 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

in  her  badness  her  daughter  would  acquire 
''  authority  "  {awza). 

Supayalatj  as  a  child,  used  to  catch  birds 
and  then  tear  them  limb  from  limb  in  mere 
wanton  cruelty.  It  was  her  way  of  enjoying 
herself. 

Such  was  the  character  and  disposition  of 
the  young  girl  who,  by  the  connivance  of  her 
mother,  and  in  fulfilment  of  her  own  ambi- 
tions, became  Queen  of  Burma.  Her  husband 
came  straight  from  a  monastery  to  the  throne. 
He  had  so  distinguished  himself  in  his  priestly 
studies  that  his  father.  King  Mindon,  at  one 
time  thought  that  he  was  going  to  be  the  future 
Buddha  (Payaloung).  He  left  the  seclusion 
and  the  discipline  of  the  cloister  to  assume 
the  unrestrained  and  limitless  powers  of  an 
absolute  sovereign.  Could  any  worse  training 
be  imagined  for  a  king  than  this  ? 

After  the  first  massacres  Mr.  Colbeck  still 
remained  at  his  post  in  charge  of  the  Mandalay 
Mission  ;  but  at  length  he  was  compelled  to 
leave,  much  against  his  will,  together  with  all 
the  English  community,  by  the  withdrawal 
of  the  PoHtical  Agent  and  his  staff.  Mr. 
St.  Barbe  refused  Colbeck' s  appeal  to  be  allowed 

224 


THIBAW 

to  stay  behind  on  the  ground  that  even  if  he 
had  the  right  to  risk  his  own  Hfe,  he  had  none 
to  risk  compromising  the  British  Government 
and  thwarting  the  poHcy  in  pursuance  of 
which  the  Resident's  departure  had  been 
ordered. 

After  Colbeck's  departure,  I  felt  very 
anxious  about  the  buildings  connected  with 
the  Mission  in  Mandalay,  and  I  determined  to 
go  myself  to  see  if  my  personal  influence  upon 
my  former  pupil,  King  Thibaw,  would  restrain 
him  from  the  evil  course  which  he  had  entered 
upon,  and  also  avail  to  protect  the  buildings 
which  his  father  had  erected  for  me. 

I  had  already  once  before  attempted  this, 
immediately  on  Thibaw's*  accession,  but  the 
previous  Resident,  Mr.  Shaw,  represented  to  the 
Chief  Commissioner,  Mr.  Aitchison,  that  my 
visit  might  interfere  with  his  (Mr.  Shaw's) 
influence. 

Now  that  there  was  no  longer  a  British 
Resident,  there  could  be  no  question  of  inter- 
fering with  anybody's  influence,  so  I  deter- 
mined to  make  another  attempt.  I  resolved 
to  go  to  Mandalay  for  a  few  days  to  show  that 

•  Cf.    Letters  21-23. 

225  15 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

the  Church  of  England  had  not  abandoned  the 
church  and  Mission  premises,  and  that  our 
occupancy  did  not  necessarily  follow  that  of 
the  Political  Agency. 

If  I  saw  any  danger  of  desecration,  I  resolved 
to  bring  away  the  altar  and  the  font,  and  if 
there  appeared  to  be  none,  to  leave  a  catechist 
in  charge  till  better  times. 

I  felt  it  right  that  my  visit  should  be  public 
and  open,  and,  therefore,  I  wrote  to  the  King 
and  Prime  Minister  a  short  note,  simply  saying 
that. as  there  was  no  clergyman  in  Mandalay, 
I  would  go  for  a  few  days  at  the  end  of  the 
month, 

I  received  no  reply,  and  doubting  whether 
the  letter  had  been  delivered,  I  telegraphed  to 
the  Kinwun  Mingyi,  and  he  replied,  asking  me 
to  postpone  my  departure.  On  the  same  day 
I  received  private  information  from  some  of 
my  boys  that  a  Mandalay  spy  had  sent  word 
to  the  Court  that  I  was  going  as  a  spy  of  the 
British  Government.  I  therefore  sent  another 
telegram,  assuring  the  Kinwun  Mingyi  that 
my  visit  had  nothing  of  a  political  nature 
about  it,  and  even  proceeded  as  far  as  Prome 

on  my  journey  to  Mandalay  ;    but  I  was  met 

226 


THIBAW 

there  with  the  reply  that  I  should  on  no 
account  be  allowed  to  visit  Mandalay  for  the 
present,  and  that  if  I  persisted,  orders  would 
be  issued  to  prevent  my  crossing  the  boundary. 

After  this  I  made  no  further  attempt  to  visit 
Mandalay  in  Thibaw's  time,  but  some  years 
afterwards,  in  1886,  when  the  Burmese  kingdom 
had  come  to  an  end,  I  was  allowed  to  visit  the 
queen  dowager  and  her  daughter  Supayagyi, 
when  they  were  in  captivity  in  Tavoy.  The 
Queen  spoke  very  kindly  of  the  days  when  she 
had  known  me  at  Mandalay,  when  the  princes 
were  under  my  care.  She  confirmed  the 
reports  that  I  had  often  heard,  that  King 
Thibaw  frequently  inquired  after  me,  and 
expressed  surprise  that  I  had  never  visited 
him  after  his  accession.  He  evidently  did 
not  know  of  the  Kinwun  Mingyi's  threat  which 
stopped  me  on  my  way  to  Mandalay  in  1879. 

I  need  not  detail  the  events  which  led  to 
the  last  Burmese  war  in  1885.  Sir  Harry 
Prendergast  led  what  was  not  inaptly  called 
**  a  miUtary  picnic  "  up  the  Irrawaddy,  meet- 
ing with  Httle  or  no  opposition.  King  Thibaw 
had  been  kept  in  a  fool's  paradise  with  lying 
reports  by  those  who  were  working  his  ruin. 

227  15* 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

The  old  Queen  assured  me  that  until  he  heard 
the  cannonading  at  Myingyan,  the  King  had 
no  idea  that  hostihties  had  commenced.  Man- 
dalay,  Thibaw,  and  the  army  capitulated  at 
once — only  too  quickly  for  our  rulers.  We 
took  Mandalay  long  before  we  knew  what  we 
were  going  to  do  with  it.  The  army,  only 
partially  disbanded,  was  allowed  to  go  off  as 
the  men  chose.  No  effort  was  made  to  intern 
them,  to  enlist  them  under  the  British  flag,  or 
to  give  them  work.  And  so,  without  employ- 
ment, pay  or  control,  they  naturally  took  to 
dacoity,  and  became  the  nucleus  of  bands  of 
robbers,  which  kept  the  country  in  a  disturbed 
state  for  many  years. 

The  Rev.  James  A.  Colbeck  thus  describes 
the  last  hours  of  Thibaw's  dynasty  : 

'*  General  Prendergast  gave  King  Thibaw 
one  day  to  consider  whether  he  w^ould  sur- 
render himself,  his  capital,  kingdom,  and 
army,  or  fight.  Next  day  the  same  thrilHng 
scene  took  place  as  was  witnessed  the  day 
before — thousands  of  men  within  gunshot  of 
each  other.  The  appointed  time  expired,  and 
the  order  was  given  *  Load  !  '  But  the  officers 
felt   it    would    be   a   simple  massacre    of  the 

228 


THIBAW 

Burmans,  and  did  not  say  '  Fire  !  '  The  sus- 
pense was  awful.  Then  at  the  most  critical 
moment  another  flag  of  truce  appeared,  and 
Burmese  officers  of  state  came  to  say  that  the 
King  accepted  the  terms  of  peace  and  would 
give  himself  up.  The  Burmese  army  was  dis- 
armed, and  our  soldiers  proceeded  to  Mandalay. 

'*  General  Prendergast  and  Colonel  Sladen 
went  into  the  Palace,  and  found  all  in  con- 
fusion. The  attendants  of  the  King  and  queens 
were  engaged  pillaging  the  treasures,  gold, 
rubies,  and  beautiful  silks,  and  destroying 
mirrors,  lamps,  costly  carvings  and  curiosities, 
which  people  at  home  would  give  much  to  see. 

**  Colonel  Sladen  slept  one  night  in  the 
Palace,  near  the  King,  to  protect  him,  and  a 
guard  of  our  men  was  placed  at  the  gates. 
Next  day  the  General  came  and  gave  Thibaw 
ten  minutes  to  get  ready  to  leave  his  country. 
It  took,  however,  three-quarters  of  an  hour. 
Then  a  procession  formed  :  the  British  flag, 
the  General  and  his  staff,  the  King,  holding  his 
two  wives,  one  by  each  hand,  the  queen- 
mother.  Colonel  Sladen,  then  a  crowd  of 
ministers  of  the  court,  maids-of-honour,  British 

officers,    and   others,    which   moved   past    the 

229 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

great  throne,  down  the  Palace  steps,  through 
a  long  lane  of  our  soldiers  presenting  arms, 
with  fixed  bayonets  ;  and  so  on  till  the  King 
and  his  party  were  got  into  bullock-carts  and 
taken  under  strong  guard  to  the  steamer 
Thooria,  which  was  waiting  to  receive  him. 
The  people  of  the  city  at  first  seemed  bewil- 
dered ;  then,  as  they  realized  what  was  taking 
place,  many  burst  into  tears  and  threw  them- 
selves sobbing  on  the  ground,  bewaihng  the 
loss  of  their  master,  cruel  though  he  had  been." 
One  of  the  first  exploits  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment in  the  newly-annexed  kingdom  was  the 
construction  of  a  narrow  gauge  railway 
between  Rangoon  and  Mandalay  via  Toungoo. 
This  work  was  pushed  on  with  almost  American 
rapidity,  and  in  spite  of  cholera,  dysentery, 
dacoits  and  other  difficulties,  it  was  ready  for 
opening  early  in  1889.  I  was  one  of  the  forty 
gentlemen  who  left  Rangoon  by  the  special  train 
on  the  evening  of  February  25th  to  be  j)resent  in 
Mandalay  for  the  ceremonial  opening.  After 
the  ceremony  was  finished,  I  went  off  to  my 
old  residence.  But  so  utterly  had  the  place 
changed  from  the  Mandalay  that  I  had  left 
fourteen  years  before  that  I  actually  lost  my 

230 


THIBAW 

way,  and  it  was  not  without  difficulty  and 
adventure  that  I  at  last  got  to  the  place. 

The  deep  and  rapid  stream,  the  Shweda 
Kyoung,  upon  which  my  boys  and  I  used  to 
row  in  our  doubled-banked  twelve-oared  boat 
in  front  of  the  school,  had  become  a  miserable 
little  ditch.  The  royal  fence  which  marked 
our  Mission  as  a  royal  foundation,  had  given 
way  to  a  light  railing,  and  the  British  Resi- 
dency looked  seedy  and  dilapidated. 

After  service  in  the  church  I  walked  to  the 
cemetery  to  visit  the  grave  of  dear  James 
Colbeck.  I  could  not  help  recaUing  the  time 
when  Bishop  Milman,  Captain  Sladen  and  I, 
with  several  others,  went  to  consecrate  the 
little  corner  that  the  Roman  Cathohcs  gave 
us  for  our  cemetery.  We  had  to  wade  part  of 
the  way,  be  poled  in  rafts  the  other  part,  and 
walk  the  remainder,  and  the  consecration 
service  was  read  from  the  top  of  the  unfinished 
wall,  which  had  two  or  three  feet  of  water  on 
either  side.  Every  Sunday  morning  after 
service,  while  we  were  together,  James  Colbeck 
and  I  used  to  walk  to  the  cemetery  to  see  that 
it  was  properly  cared  for. 

On  Sunday  we  had  parade  service  for  the 
231 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

English  troops  and  others  in  the  Hman-nan- 
daWy  the  grand  front  hall  of  the  royal  Palace. 
Here  in  this  golden  apartment,  in  which  I 
had  so  often  walked  barefoot  and  anxious, 
waiting  for  hours  for  the  appearance  of  one  of 
my  prince  pupils  with  the  joyful  words, 
'*  Kaw  daw  mu  thi"  ('The  King  calls  you"), 
I  now  stood  with  my  back  to  the  throne 
and  preached  to  a  large  and  attentive  con- 
gregation. In  my  long  intervals  of  waiting, 
in  days  gone  by,  I  often  used  to  think  of 
the  various  useful  purposes  to  which  the 
different  halls  of  the  Palace  might  be  put. 
But  my  wildest  flights  of  imagination  never 
assigned  a  purpose  as  that  to  which  we  were 
adapting  the  hall  of  audience,  that  of  a  mihtary 
chapel  for  the  British  garrison  ! 


232 


u 


o 


CHAPTER  XIX 

LAST   DAYS    IN    MAULMEIN 

T  TNDER  Bishop  Titcomb  the  work  of  the 
^^  Church  in  British  Burma  made  excel- 
lent progress.  He  established  the  Rangoon 
Additional  Clergy  Society,  and  made  his  in- 
fluence felt  all  over  the  huge  diocese.  He 
took  special  interest  in  the  S.P.G.  Orphan 
Home,  which  he  aided  munificently,  and  at  his 
recommendation  it  was  called  the  Diocesan 
Orphanage  for  Boys.  He  frequently  invited 
our  orphans  to  garden  parties  at  Bishop's 
Court,  where  the  ladies  of  his  family,  his  effi- 
cient coadjutors  in  every  good  work,  most 
kindly  entertained  them. 

The  accident  by  which  Burma  was  deprived 
of  his  services  caused  us  the  greatest  sorrow. 
The  roadway  on  the  side  of  a  Karen  hill  on 
which  he  was  walking  gave  way  under  him, 

233 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

and  he  fell  some  twenty  feet,  injuring  his  spine, 
and  necessitating  his  ultimate  retirement  from 
Burma,  to  our  deep  regret.  His  name  will 
always  be  revered  and  loved  in  the  diocese. 
His  successor  was  the  Right  Reverend  Bishop 
Strachan,  M.D.,  who  from  1863  had  been  one 
of  the  most  prominent  of  the  S.P.G.  mission- 
aries in  Madras  Diocese.  It  was  during  his 
episcopate  that  Upper  Burma  was  annexed 
to  the  British  Crown,  and  the  whole  country, 
by  leaps  and  bounds,  began  to  advance  in 
material  prosperity,  so  that  now  Burma  is 
the  largest  territorially,  and  the  most  pros- 
perous financially,  of  all  the  provinces  of  our 
great  Indian  Empire. 

After  fifteen  years'  absence  I  visited 
England  again  in  1890,  bringing  with  me  two 
of  our  students  from  St.  John's  College,  who, 
with  myself,  were  most  kindly  received  by 
bishops  and  clergy  and  other  friends  when- 
ever I  had  the  pleasure  of  going  on  deputa- 
tion for  S.P.G.  Especially  did  Archbishop 
Benson  take  a  most  kindly  interest  in  these 
youths,  who  in  a  short  time  were  called  to  the 
Bar  of  the  Inner  Temple,  and  are  now  practising 
as  barristers  in  Burma.     The  dear  Archbishop, 

234 


LAST  DAYS   IN   MAULMEIN| 

whom  I  had  known  in  Lincoln  in  1875,  gave 
me  a  beautiful  large  Prayer  Book  for  our 
chapel,  and  in  many  other  ways  showed  his 
kind  interest  in  our  work.  It  was  during  this 
visit  that  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  as 
assistant  and  coadjutor  my  dear  friend,  the 
Rev.  Bernard  Mahon,  the  son  of  the  highly- 
respected  Vicar  of  Leigh-on-Mendip  and  S.P.G. 
Diocesan  Secretary.  His  expenses  were  paid 
by  a  noble  lady  who  heard  my  appeal  for  help 
in  Westminster  Abbey.  Of  how  great  value 
his  services  to  the  College  and  Mission  have 
been  all  are  aware  who  know  Rangoon. 

I  returned,  after  six  months*  absence, 
with  renewed  energy,  but  with  failing 
powers.  Every  month  told  me  that  a  great 
institution  like  St.  John's  College  needed  a 
younger  and  stronger  man  at  its  head.  Fre- 
quent illnesses  interrupted  my  work — although 
my  visits  as  chaplain  to  Tavoy  and  Mergui 
usually  reinvigorated  me. 

All  our  institutions  were  in  full  activity. 
The  College  Cadet  Corps  in  connection  with 
the  Rangoon  Volunteer  Rifles  was  instituted 
in  the  time  of  Bishop  Titcomb,  and  received 
the    high    commendation    of     Lord     Roberts, 

235 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

General  Sir  George  Chesney,  and  others.  The 
Orphanage  had  over  a  hundred  boys,  but  was 
a  source  of  deep  anxiety  financially. 

The  College  had  a  band  of  excellent 
workers — "  Shway  Yoe,"  C.  I.  E.,  Messrs. 
W.  B.  Rutledge,  W.  B.  Tydd,  W.  Wemyss, 
R.  H.  St.  John,  J.  Courtenay,  Ko  Shwe  Hman, 
and  others — to  whom  its  prosperity  and  success 
must  be  ascribed  and  my  heartiest  thanks  ever 
be  given.  I  must  also  mention  the  excellent 
work  of  the  late  Rev.  A.  Salmon,  my  locum 
tenens  in  1890.  "  Shway  Yoe  "  (now  Sir  James 
George  Scott)  was  head-master  in  Bishop 
Titcomb's  time,  and  left  us  to  become  H.B.M.'s 
Resident  at  Bangkok.  He  was  a  man  who 
would  adorn  any  station,  and  as  our  head- 
master, our  leader  in  all  that  was  athletic  and 
manly,  we  honoured  and  loved  him  then,  and 
we  shall  never  cease  to  regard  him  with  admira- 
tion and  affection.  He  did  the  school  great 
good  by  infusing  or  evoking  among  the  boys 
the  athletic  spirit  which  has  never  since  died  out. 

In  1895  I  was  stricken  with  severe  illness, 
heart  complaint  in  a  very  painful  form  render- 
ing any  exertion  difficult  and  dangerous.  I 
was  ordered  to  England,  and  feared  that  my 

236 


LAST  DAYS   IN  MAULMEIN 

work  was  done.  The  Society's  Honorary  Con- 
sulting Physician,  Dr.  Ogle,  confirmed  my 
fears.  After  a  short  time,  however,  I  seemed 
to  recover,  and  went  on  deputation  again,  but 
though  I  earnestly  wished  to  return  to  Burma, 
I  had  grave  doubts  whether  I  ought  to  resume 
the  care  of  St.  John's  College.  With  the  con- 
sent of  the  Society  the  question  was  left  to  the 
decision  of  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
whether  T  should  return  to  St.  John's,  or 
accept  the  chaplaincy  of  Maulmein  (my  first 
love),  under  the  Additional  Clergy  Society. 

After  a  most  kind  and  patient  inquiry  at 
Addington,  His  Grace  decided  that  I  should 
resign  the  college  and  take  the  chaplaincy 
in  Maulmein,  Tavoy  and  Mergui.  I  spent  two 
and  a  half  very  happy  years  at  Maulmein,  with 
frequent  visits  to  and  from  my  old  pupils  in 
other  stations.  But  I  felt  that  I  had  but 
little  strength  even  for  that  lighter  work. 
On  Sunday,  July  loth,  1898,  whilst  celebrating 
Holy  Communion  in  the  beautiful  St.  Matthew's 
Church,  I  suddenly  became  ill,  and  must  have 
fallen  had  not  my  kind  friends,  Messrs.  F.  S. 
Copleston  and  K.  G.  Burne,  sub-deacons,  com^ 
to  my  help  and  carried  me  into  the  vestry, 

237 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

I  was  again  sent  home,  loaded  with  kindness 
and  help  from  all,  especially  Surgeon-Colonel 
Sinclair,  C.S.L,  and  Dr.  Pedley  and  my  dear 
colleagues  and  pupils  of  St.  John's,  an  institu- 
tion which,  under  the  very  able  and  efficient 
management  of  Mr.  J.  T.  Best,  M.A.  (Cantab.), 
is  ful  y  maintaining  its  highest  reputation.  I 
was  over  two  years  in  England,  an  invalid  for 
the  most  part  of  the  time,  but,  when  well 
enough,  pleading  for  the  dear  S.P.G.  From 
the  Society  and  its  officers,  especially  the  Rev. 
Secretary  Prebendary  Tucker,  I  have  ever 
received  the  utmost  kindness,  sympathy  and 
consideration,  both  in  Burma  and  in  England, 
so  that  my  visits  to  the  S.P.G.  Office  have  been 
among  the  most  pleasant  and  encouraging 
episodes  of  my  sojourn  at  home. 


23^ 


"■■■""■— ■'■J 

P^^^"''^'     '  P- 

^HK^ 

!^S 

%  '  « 

iS^»'^'^''^'^r'^^^^^^^^''^^^^Kt/K/^^p'!f  ■^'** 

W\ 

^H^^^^H 

IM 

i*ifi*?W*^     "■-•i^^B^^^^P'^^^B 

r^ 

^.r^'^MI  it 

.f>a» 

^A 

CHAPTER  XX  i 

LAST   VISIT   TO   BURMA 

1^1  riTH  returning  health  and  strength  my 
desire  to  revisit  Burma  came  strongly 
upon  me.  A  cordial  letter  of  invitation  from 
my  ''  sons "  in  that  country  intensified  my 
longing.  In  August,  1898,  shortly  after  I  left 
Burma,  a  meeting  of  my  "  old  boys  *'  was  held 
in  the  Rangoon  Volunteer  Head-quarters,  at 
which  an  Association  was  formed,  called  the 
'*  Marks'  Memorial  Fund,"  with  my  good 
successor,  J.  T.  Best,  Esq.,  M.A.,  Principal  of 
St.  John's  College,  as  President ;  Mg.  Ohn  Ghine, 
A.T.M.,  CLE.,  Hon.  Magistrate,  Vice-Presi- 
dent;  J.  Courtenay,  Esq.,  B.A.,  Sub-Judicial 
Service,  Secretary  ;  and  Thomas  Lyons,  Esq., 
of  the  Finance  Secretariat,  Treasurer — (the 
latter  three  being  my  '*  sons  ") — with  a  strong 
committee  of  twenty,  of  whom  eighteen  were 

239 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

*'  old  boys/'  It  was  from  this  organization 
that  the  invitation  came,  together  with  a 
desire  to  pay  all  my  expenses  out  there  and 
home. 

I  very  thankfully  accepted  the  invitation 
thus  to  revisit  my  beloved  country  and  my 
dear  "sons"  and  other  friends  unofficially,  and 
\vithout  any  expense  either  to  the  Society 
or  to  the  diocese.  I  obtained  the  consent 
of  my  good  doctors.  Messrs.  Bibby  Bros, 
kindly  made  a  very  substantial  reduction  in 
my  passage  money  on  the  outward  journey 
and  several  old  Burma  friends  in  England 
contributed  most  generously  towards  my 
outfit,  etc. 

I  took  leave  of  the  Society  at  the  monthly 

meeting  on  October  19th,  1900,  and  slipped  off 

quietly   to   Marseilles,    via   Dover   and   Calais, 

on  the  22nd.     Really,   I   wanted  a  few  days' 

rest    before    embarking,    and    this    I    got    in 

pleasant    sunny    Marseilles — so    different    from 

the     cold,    foggy    London    which    I    had    left 

twenty-four    hours    before,    where,    indeed,    I 

was   being   worked   too   hard.     So   the   entire 

rest   during   the   four   days   at  Marseilles  was 

very  acceptable. 

240 


LAST  VISIT  TO  BURMA| 

We  embarked  on  board  the  good  Bibby 
liner  Staffordshire^  6,005  tons,  4,000  h.-p., 
on  October  27th.  On  the  loth  of  November 
we  arrived  at  Colombo,  where  our  Ceylon 
fellow-passengers  left  us.  At  the  Grand 
Oriental  Hotel  I  had  the  pleasure  to  meet  the 
Right  Rev.  Dr.  Pym,  Bishop  of  Mauritius, 
with  whom  I  dined.  Next  day  I  went  to 
Darley  House,  and  spent  an  hour  most 
pleasantly  with  the  Bishop  of  Colombo  and 
Mrs.  Copleston.  I  knew  the  Bishop  when  he 
was  an  undergraduate  at  Oxford,  was  with 
him  at  St.  John's,  Oxford,  on  his  last  Sunday 
there,  was  present  at  his  consecration  in  West- 
minster Abbey,  and  dined  with  him  at  Ed- 
monton that  night.  He  most  kindly  visited 
me  twice  on  board  on  my  way  home.  His 
brother,  our  Chief  Justice  in  Burma,  saved  me 
from  falling  when  I  was  taken  so  ill  in  Maul- 
mein  Church,  where  he  was  sub-deacon.  The 
Bishop  most  kindly  arranged  to  take  me  to 
my  brother,  the  Rev.  P.  Marks,  Chaplain  of 
Trincomali,  on  my  return  journey. 

We  resumed  our  voyage  on  the  15th,  and 
in  four  days  arrived  in  Rangoon  on  our  twenty- 
fourth  day  out  from  Marseilles.     Our  steamer 

241  16 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

was  boarded  by  a  lot  of  my  dear  "  sons,"  and 
when  we  got  alongside  the  wharf,  Mr.  Best, 
the  Rev.  B.  Mahon,  and  others  came  to  give 
me  a  hearty  welcome.  The  wharf  was  grandly 
decorated  with  flags,  and  as  I  landed  Burmese 
ladies  beautifully  dressed  presented  me  with 
fine  bouquets  of  roses,  etc.  The  following 
address  was  read  : 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir, — On  behalf  of 
the  Committee  of  the  Marks'  Memorial  Fund, 
your  "  sons,"  pupils  and  friends  have  much 
pleasure  in  rendering  you  a  very  hearty  and 
cordial  welcome.  We  have  been  looking  for- 
ward to  this  visit  with  eager  expectation,  and 
now  that  our  expectation  has  been  reahzed,  we 
feel  that  we  have  not  prayed  in  vain  to  meet 
you  in  this,  the  scene  of  your  former  devoted 
labours  in  the  cause  of  education.  We  hope 
that  your  visit  to  Burma  will  be  the  means  of 
cementing  the  ties  which  have  bound  you  to 
us,  and  we  trust  that  the  sunny  East  during 
this  dehghtful  weather  will  restore  you  to 
perfect  health  again,  and  that,  being  filled 
with  happy  reminiscences,  you  will  enjoy  your 
sojourn  among  those  to  whom  you  have 
endeared    yourself.     You    have    done    for    us 

242 


LAST  VISIT  TO  BURMA 

more  than  we  can  ever  repay,  but  we  trust 
that  you  will  not  find  us  lacking  in  our  efforts 
to  make  your  visit  a  happy  one. 

**  Signed  on  behalf  of  the  Committee  and 
others,  J.  T.  Best,  M.A.,  President;  Mg.  Ohn 
Ghine,  AT.M,,  CLE.,  Vice-President;  C.  K. 
Davies,  Hon.  Secretary,  Marks'  Memorial 
Fund." 

I  replied,  heartily  thanking  all  for  their 
kindness  and  this  grand  reception,  and  ex- 
pressing my  intense  happiness  at  being  once 
again  in  beloved  Burma. 

A  carriage  and  pair  conveyed  Mr.  Best,  M.A., 
Mg.  Ohn  Ghine,  CLE.,  Moung  Shwe  Bwin, 
K.S.M.,  Judge,  and  myself.  Other  carriages, 
to  the  number  of  nearly  one  hundred,  followed. 
Our  guard  of  honour  consisted  of  over  sixty 
youngsters  on  bicycles,  each  bearing  a  flag  of 
welcome.  Immense  crowds,  larger  than  I 
have  ever  seen  on  such  occasions,  greeted  us 
on  our  way.  The  police  kept  the  road  clear 
for  us  all  the  two  miles  to  the  College.  We 
halted  at  appointed  places,  where  Burmese 
damsels  gave  us  sherbet  and  other  delicacies 
in  golden  bowls,  and  bouquets. 

x\rrived  at  St.  John's  College,  we  found 
243  i6* 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

flags  and  arches  of  welcome  and  a  grandly 
decorated  mandat,  or  tent,  beautifully  adorned 
and  ornamented.  Here  an  address  of  welcome 
was  presented  to  me  to  which  I  replied  in 
Burmese,  glad  to  find  myself  talking  that 
language  again — though  occasionally  stuck  for 
a  word,  from  long  disuse. 

Then  we  assembled  in  the  College  Chapel, 
where  I  returned  thanks  for  God's  great 
mercy  in  bringing  me  once  more  to  my  dear 
people.  Dinner  in  the  head-master's  lodge 
ended  this  red-letter  day  in  my  life. 

The  next  few  days  were  spent  at  the  College 
and  in  paying  visits.  The  Bishop  of  Rangoon 
received  me  most  cordially  and  kindly,  as  did 
also  His  Honour  Sir  Frederick  Fryer,  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Burma. 

On  Sunday,  the  25th,  I  preached  twice  in  the 
College  Chapel,  which,  on  both  occasions,  was 
well  filled  with  native  and  European  wor- 
shippers. In  the  morning  I  preached  in  Bur- 
mese on  the  Gospel  for  the  day,  and  in  the 
evening  in  English.  I  knew  from  the  first  that 
it  would  be  inconvenient  for  me  to  stay  long 
at  the  College.  I  was  its  founder  and  first 
principal — the   only  pucka  one  until  Mr.  Best 

244 


LAST  VISIT  TO  BURMA 

came,  and  my  position  there  might  be  mis- 
understood. A  constant  stream  of  visitors 
interfered  with  the  quiet  working  of  the  Col- 
lege. So,  with  the  consent  of  all  concerned, 
I  took  rooms  at  a  club  in  the  heart  of  the 
city,  accessible  to  all  at  any  time,  and  with 
no  trouble  about  housekeeping. 

Before  I  left  I  went  with  the  Principal  all 
through  the  College,  and  was  thoroughly 
pleased  with  the  work.  It  had,  of  course, 
changed  considerably  since  my  time.  Some 
changes  I  should  very  likely  have  made  my- 
self. Others  rather  jarred  upon  my  feelings, 
and  yet  I  have  no  doubt  that  they  had 
become  necessary  by  the  development  of 
circumstances.  The  College  was  very  different 
when  I  gave  over  charge  in  1895  from  what  it 
was  in  1864,  and  one  must  expect  similar 
progress  in  1901  and  hereafter, 

I  had  long  and  pleasant  interviews  at  his 
residence  and  mine  with  the  Hon.  H.  Kun 
Saing,  CLE.,  Sawbwa  of  Hsipaw,  a  Shan 
potentate,  whom  I  have  known  under  various 
circumstances  for  the  last  thirty  years,  and 
who  was  very  anxious  that  we  should  establish 
a  Mission  amongst  his  people,  the  highlanders 

245 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

of  Burma.  He  had  dined  with  Queen  Victoria 
at  Windsor  Castle  three  years  previously.  His 
beautiful  territory,  since  the  opening  of  the 
famous  Goteik  Bridge,  is  now  accessible  by 
rail  from  Rangoon.  His  two  sons  were  in  the 
S.P.G.  Royal  School,  Mandalay,  and  at  St. 
John's,  and  came  to  England  with  the  Rev. 
George  Colbeck,  and  then  went  to  Rugby. 
The  younger,  Saw  Khe,  the  Maington  Sawbwa, 
Regent  of  Hsipaw,  was  my  dear  kind  friend 
in  Rangoon,  and  was,  at  his  own  request, 
photographed  with  Ko  Shwe  Hman  and  my- 
self shortly  before  I  left. 

On  Sunday,  March  17th,  against  the  advice 
of  my  good  Medicus  and  hostess,  I  went  and 
preached  a  short  farewell  sermon  in  Burmese 
at  St.  John's  College  Chapel,  said  "  Good-bye  " 
to  all  the  dear  people  there,  and  came  back 
very,  very  tired  and  went  to  bed. 

On  the  following  day  a  very  large  number  of 
friends  and  myself  were  taken  in  a  photographic 
group  on  Dr.  Pedley's  lawn. 

On  March  29th,  1901,  I  had  again  to  say 
*'  Good-bye  "  to  Burma.  I  was  too  weak  to 
allow  of  any  very  great  parting  ceremony.  I 
was  weary  with  saying  *'  Good-bye  "  privately, 

246 


£awb\,a  Saw   KKe,   Ko  Shwe  Hman  and  Dr.  Maiks. 

.  IFacing  p.  246. 


LAST  VISIT  TO  BURMA 

but  many  old  boys  came  with  their  carriages 
to  escort  me  to  the  wharf.  There  a  very  large 
assembly  of  all  nationalities,  of  both  sexes,  and 
of  all  ages,  came  to  bid  me  farewell.  A  beau- 
tiful address  was  read  to  me,  and  a  purse  of 
sovereigns  handed  to  me  for  expenses,  my  full 
passage  money  having  been  paid.  Mr.  Best 
and  Mr.  Mahon  called  for  three  cheers  to  help 
me  out  with  my  very  sorrowful  thanks  and 
good-bye. 

The  Irrawaddy  Flotilla  kindly  placed  a 
steam  launch  at  my  disposal  to  take  me 
to  the  S.S.  Cheshire,  which  at  2  p.m.  sailed 
for  England. 

I  had  said  ''  Thank  you/'  from  first  to  last, 
to  all  my  friends,  my  ''sons,  daughters  and 
grandchildren."  They  asked  me  on  the  wharf 
to  promise  to  return  next  year.  I  could  not 
promise,  but  I  would  not  say  ''  No." 


247 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX 

a  selection  of  dr.  marks'  letters  and 
reports,  referring  especially  to  the 
burmese  court 

Letter  i 

To  the  Rev.  the  Secretary  of  the  S.P.G. 
The  British  Residency^  Mandalay^ 

Upper  Burma,  October  20th,  1868. 

It  is  now  my  duty  and  pleasure  to  address  you 
with  regard  to  my  Mission  to  the  King  of 
Burma.  My  former  letters  have  put  you  in 
possession  of  the  first  stages  of  the  attempt, 
but  I  think  that  it  is  better  that  I  should  here 
recapitulate  them. 

In  1863  I  met  in  Rangoon  the  Thonzai 
Prince,  one  of  the  sons  of  the  King,  who  had 
fled  from  the  capital.  I  gave  him  several 
Christian  books  in  Burmese,  and  spoke  to  him 
about  their  contents.  He  became  reconciled 
to  the  King,  and  on  his  return  to  Mandalay 

2$I 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

asked  me  to  come  and  see  him  at  the  capital. 
He  has  since  sent  me  several  kind  messages, 
but,  as  you  know,  my  work  and  absence  in 
Calcutta  and  England  left  me  no  leisure  to 
visit  the  capital. 

After  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta's  visit  last 
year,  the  way  seemed  open  to  establish  Mission 
schools  and  stations  along  the  Irrawaddy ; 
and  accordingly  in  two  missionary  journeys 
schools  were  formed  at  Zalun,  Henzada,  Myan- 
aung  and  Thayetmyo. 

At  this  time  I  received  several  letters  from 
Captain  E.  B.  Sladen,  the  British  PoHtical 
Agent  at  the  Court  of  the  King  of  Burma, 
telling  me  of  conversations  with  His  Majesty 
on  the  subject  of  Christianity,  and  expressing 
his  belief  that  a  Mission  of  our  Church  in  Man- 
dalay  would  not  only  not  be  opposed,  but 
would  (under  God)  effect  much  good. 

One  of  these  letters  I  forwarded  to  the  Bishop 
of  Calcutta,  who  directed  me  to  proceed  to 
Mandalay  with  the  twofold  purpose  of  minister- 
ing to  the  Enghsh  residents,  and  endeavouring 
to  pave  the  way  for  an  English  Mission. 

I  met  in  Rangoon  Mr.  J.  S.  Manook,  an 
Armenian  Burman,   who  is  the   King's  Kala- 

252 


APPENDIX 

wufty  or  minister  for  foreigners.  I  told  him 
of  our  wish  to  have  an  S.P.G.  Mission  in  Man- 
dalay,  and  he  promised  to  lay  the  matter 
before  the  King.  Shortly  afterwards  I  received 
from  him  the  letter,  a  copy  of  which  I  sent  you, 
in  which  he  said  His  Majesty  the  King  of 
Burma  was  pleased  at  our  proposal  to  estab- 
lish in  Mandalay  a  Christian  school  for  the 
benefit  of  his  people,  that  he  would  give  every 
possible  assistance,  and  would  entrust  the 
children  of  the  officials  to  us  for  their  education. 

I  showed  the  letter  to  the  Chief  Commis- 
sioner, Colonel  Fytche,  who  was,  in  1865,  a 
member  of  your  standing  committee,  and  I 
sent  it  to  the  Bishop.  Both  agreed  that  it 
was  an  opening  of  which  your  Society  ought 
to  avail  itself,  and  that  I  should  proceed  to 
Mandalay  and  there  ascertain  what  could  be 
done.  Colonel  Fytche  furnished  me  with  a 
letter  to  the  King.  It  was,  however,  advised 
that  I  should  not  enter  Mandalay  until  I  had 
heard  of  the  return  to  that  city  of  Captain 
Sladen,  who  had  been  appointed  to  lead  an 
exploring  expedition  to  reopen  the  trade  route 
through  Burma  to  China. 

Whilst  waiting  to  hear  of  the  return  of 
253 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

Captain  Sladen,  I  received  from  the  Governor- 
General  in  Council,  on  the  application  of 
Colonel  Fytche,  through  the  Bishop,  an  ap- 
pointment as  visiting  minister  of  Henzada, 
etc.  I  therefore  left  Rangoon  on  the  28th  of 
August,  accompanied  by  six  of  my  best  first- 
class  boys  from  Rangoon. 

We  passed,  without  stopping,  Zalun  and 
Henzada,  and  arrived  at  Myan-aung  late  on 
Saturday  evening,  the  30th.  On  the  follow- 
ing day  I  visited  the  Mission  school,  which  is 
under  the  care  of  Moung  Ba  Gale,  one  of  my 
pupils  from  Maulmein  and  Rangoon,  whom  I 
baptized  at  the  latter  place  last  year.  .  .  . 
I  next  visited  Henzada  and  found  that  our 
school  there  also  was  doing  well.  I  also  visited 
Prome. 

The  steamer  came  in  on  the  Monday,  and  I 
left  at  daylight  on  Tuesday,  arriving  at  Thayet- 
myo  at  two  o'clock.  At  the  wharf  I  was  met 
by  our  teacher,  Arthur  Moung  Shway,  who 
was  baptized  by  Rev.  C.  A.  Berry  from  our 
Rangoon  school  in  1865,  and  twenty-seven  of 
his  pupils.  I  remained  in  Thayetmyo  for  a 
fortnight,  teaching  in  our  school,  and  en- 
deavouring, by  my  Sunday  help,  to  repay  in 

254 


APPENDIX 

some  measure  the  kindness  of  the  Station 
Chaplain,  who  had  most  energetically  and 
effectually  maintained  our  school  in  efficiency. 
We  left  Thayetmyo  on  the  ist  of  October 
in  the  steamer  Lord  William  Bentinck,  which, 
with  the  flat  Prome  in  tow,  was  crowded  with 
Burmese  passengers.  I  greatly  enjoyed  the 
voyage  as  I  was  passing  through  country 
which  I  had  never  seen  before.  .  .  . 


Letter  2 
To  the  Rev.  the  Secretary  S.P.G. 

Clergy  House,  Mandalay. 

June  lyth,   1870. 

On  Wednesday,  the  8th  of  June,  I  obtained 
information  that  a  number  of  men  who  had 
been  concerned  in  the  recent  contemplated 
rebellion  of  the  Katha  Prince  were  to  be  pub- 
licly beheaded  that  afternoon  in  the  cemetery 
near  our  Mission  compound.  My  informant 
asked  me  to  allow  the  princes,  our  pupils,  to 
leave  school  earlier  on  that  account,  which 
I  did. 

^55 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

It  occurred  to  me  that  possibly  I  might,  as 
a  Hpongyiy  intercede  on  their  behalf,  and  I 
resolved  to  do  so  on  the  consideration  that  the 
rebellion  had  been  nipped  in  the  bud,  and 
that  no  blood  had  been  shed.  The  King  of 
Burma  is  firmly  seated  on  his  throne  ;  he  has 
earned  a  character  for  mercy  such  as  none  of 
his  predecessors  enjoyed,  and  I  beheved  that 
his  power  would  be  still  further  consolidated 
by  an  exhibition  of  royal  clemency. 

I  intimated  to  Major  McMahon  my  intention 
of  going  to  the  King,  and  he  reminded  me  that 
if  I  did  I  must  go  in  my  private  capacity.  I 
went,  therefore,  as  a  Christian  clergyman,  who 
has  the  honour  of  being  known  to  the  King, 
and  who  is  entrusted  with  the  education  of  his 
sons.  My  colleague,  H.  Powell,  Esq.,  kindly 
accompanied  me.  We  walked  to  the  Palace 
and  arrived  before  the  princes.  I  was  advised 
that  if  I  met  the  procession  on  the  way  to 
execution,  I  could,  in  virtue  of  my  office  as 
a  Hpongyi,  stop  it  until  the  result  of  my  inter- 
cession with  His  Majesty  was  known,  and  this 
I  resolved  to  attempt  if  I  met  it,  but  I  did 
not. 

On  the  princes'  arrival  they  at  once  informed 
256 


APPENDIX 

the  King  that  I  wished  to  see  him  on  urgent 
business.  His  Majesty  immediately  called  us 
into  the  Hman-nan-daw.  The  King  was 
attended  by  two  of  the  principal  queens  and 
by  a  large  number  of  officers.  He  was  parti- 
cularly kind,  and  inquired  what  was  the 
matter,  and  whether  I  was  still  anxious  about 
the  church  building  not  going  on  so  fast  as  I 
could  wish. 

I  began  by  praising  His  Majesty's  well- 
known  clemency  and  humanity,  and  then 
prayed  for  the  lives  of  the  foolish  men  who 
were  to  be  led  to  execution  that  day.  The 
King  said  that  judgment  had  not  been  given 
and  that  he  knew  of  no  execution.  I  assured 
His  Majesty  that  my  information  was  correct. 
The  King  asked  if  anyone  else  knew  about  it, 
and  was  told  by  an  officer  present  that  there 
was  to  be  an  execution  that  afternoon.  The 
King  af  once  sent  him  with  his  royal  order 
to  stop  it.  I  thanked  His  Majesty  earnestly 
for  his  merciful  care  for  the  lives  of  his  subjects. 
The  King  replied  very  kindly,  and  after  a  few 
moments  sent  another  officer,  a  Than  daw  zin, 
or  herald,  with  the  following  order :  *'  Go, 
stop  the  men  from  being  led  out  to  execution  ; 

257  17 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

and  if  they  have  already  left,  my  royal  order 
to  the  Myo  wun  is  that  they  are  to  be  brought 
back  and  not  to  be  killed/'  .  .  .  On  our  return 
we  found  large  numbers  of  people  assembled 
on  the  road  leading  from  the  Palace  to  the 
cemetery  waiting  to  see  the  procession. 

On  the  following  day  I  obtained  from  what 
I  must  consider  an  authentic  source  a  list  of 
those  who  were  pardoned  on  my  intercession, 
and  at  the  head  of  the  hst  was  the  name  of  the 
Katha  Prince  himself.  I  was  assured  that 
everything,  even  to  the  scarlet  velvet  bag, 
was  prepared  ready  for  the  execution.  .  .  . 


Letter  3 

To  Bishop  Milman  of  Calcutta. 

Clergy  House,  Mandalay, 

July  12th,  1870. 

My  Lord  Bishop, 

We  think  it  most  probable  that  your 
Lordship  by  this  time  will  have  reached 
Thayetmyo    en    route    for    Mandalay.     I    now 

look  forward  with  real  joy  to  see  your  Lord- 

258 


APPENDIX 

ship,  and  I  trust  and  feel  sure  that  your  visit 
will  be  a  real  benefit  to  our  infant  Mission. 
I  wish  that  I  had  cheering  news  to  give,  but, 
alas  !   after  hoping  against  hope,  I  am  obliged 
to  say  that  there  is  no  prospect  of  the  church 
being  in  any  way  ready — I  did  not  believe  that 
Burman    lying    and    deceit    could    have    been 
carried  on  so  persistently.     The  King  arranged 
that  if  I  would  call  up  a  contractor,  he  would 
pay    out    Rs.    5,000    at    a    time.     This    again 
encouraged    me  that  we  might  push  the  work 
on.     I    was    deceived.     I    have    appealed   and 
begged  until  I  have  been  ashamed,  and  yet  up 
to  the  present  we  have  only  nine  logs  in  and  a 
few  more  on  the  ground,  and  we  have  neither 
timber  nor  money  to  go  on  with.     We  have 
here  a  steam  saw-mill,  the  manager  of  which 
would  gladly  cut  timber  for  me,  but  we  have 
no  wood  or  money.     It  is  all  a  mass  of  chica- 
nery.    I  do  not  beheve  the  King  himself  to  be 
at  fault.     Our  opponent  I  beheve  to  be  Dr.  M., 
who,   by  making  himself  useful  to  the  King, 
has  been  appointed  forest  officer,  and  in  that 
capacity  is  able  to  hinder  our  work. 

I  remain,  your  most  faithful  Servant, 

J.  E.  Marks. 
259  17* 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 


Letter  4 

To  Bishop  Milman. 

August  igth^  1870. 

My  Lord  Bishop, 

Since  I  last  wrote  to  your  Lordship, 
my  brother  has  arrived,  and  together  we  have 
visited  the  Palace  three  times.  On  the  first 
day  we  went  by  special  invitation,  but  were 
kept  waiting  outside  for  an  hour  and  a  half, 
when  we  left.  No  one  was  there  to  receive 
us,  so  we  returned  home.  We  had  scarcely 
arrived  at  the  Clergy  House  when  messengers 
arrived  from  the  King  to  express  his  regret 
at  the  way  we  had  been  treated.  We  re- 
turned civil  replies,  but  said  that,  having 
waited  so  long  without  seeing  anyone  in 
authority,  not  even  the  princes,  we  had  felt 
that  it  was  our  duty  to  return  home.  In  the 
evening  the  King  sent  all  the  princes  to  us  to 
apologize  for  their  neglect  in  the  morning,  and 

260 


APPENDIX 

to  invite  us  to  come  as  a  special  favour  on  the 
morrow — Sunday.  This,  of  course,  I  declined 
to  do,  but  we  agreed  to  go  on  Monday.  On 
our  arrival  we  were  met  by  the  princes  and 
immediately  received  by  the  King,  who  was 
remarkably  kind  and  courteous.  After  some 
time  I  dehvered  your  Lordship's  message, 
which  H.M.  received  with  evident  pleasure, 
but  made  no  remark  except  that  he  said  that 
it  was  his  intention  to  fill  the  school  with  boys 
from  all  parts  of  the  country.  Yesterday  we 
were  again  at  the  Palace.  A  capital  EngHsh 
breakfast  had  been  prepared  for  us  with  tables, 
knives  and  forks,  etc.,  and  the  princes  sat 
down  with  us.  It  is  the  King's  orders  that  in 
future  we  are  to  be  received  in  the  princes' 
rooms,  where  chairs  and  tables  are  allowed. 
The  King  received  us  yesterday  in  perfect 
privacy,  none  but  the  princes,  one  officer  and 
one  of  my  boys  being  present,  under  the  tree 
in  the  garden  house.  He  talked  philosophy, 
on  the  value  of  true  friendship,  in  his  desire 
to  get  a  closer  intimacy  with  my  brother  and 
self.  This  is  to  be  obtained  by  the  interchange 
of  private  and  confidential  letters  under  seal, 
in    which    each    is    to   express    himself    freely 

261 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

and  without  reserve  on  any  point  he  may  wish 
to  bring  to  the  other's  notice,  and  will  bear 
**  with  patience  "  the  other's  remarks  thereon. 
The  King  is  behaving  with  real  kindness  to 
my  brother,  though  there  is  no  sign  of  the 
books  he  is  to  take  to  Ceylon  being  ready.  All 
goes  on  as  usual  here.  School  is  fiUing  up 
and  callers  and  talkers  becoming  daily  freer 
and  more  numerous.  On  my  return  from 
Rangoon  I  hope  to  commence  gradually  and 
quietly  more  aggressive  work,  beginning  with 
the  Kyoungs  and  parents'  houses.  The  Church 
goes  on  well,  though  I  hope  to  improve  upon 
our  plans  with  my  brother's  aid. 

Your  faithful  Servant, 

J.  E.  Marks. 


Letter  5  1 

To  Bishop  Milman.  \ 

December  21st,  1870. 

My  Lord  Bishop, 

Since  I  last  wrote  to  your  Lordship, 
I    have    been    to    Rangoon.     Before    I    left,    I 

262 


APTPENDIX 

^sked  General  Fytche  privately  whether,  on 
my  return  to  Mandalay,  I  should  make  any 
difference  in  my  conduct  with  regard  to  the 
King  of  Burma's  Court  pending  the  decision  ol 
Government.  General  Fytche  replied  :  "  Cer- 
tainly not/' 

On  my  return  here,  the  King  at  first  received 
me  coldly.  H.M.  inquired  about  your  Lord- 
ship. He  entered  again  fully  into  the  difficulty 
which  prevented  your  Lordship's  interview, 
reminding  me  of  what  he  had  said  before,  that 
had  you  consented  to  come  with  only  the 
Clergy  following,  all  your  wishes  should  have 
been  complied  with,  but  in  the  presence  of  the 
PoHtical  Agent,  H.M.  could  not  allow  any- 
thing which  had  not  been  conceded  to  Generals 
Phayre  and  Fytche,  who  came  as  ambassadors. 
He  regretted  the  result,  but  told  me  ever  to 
assure  your  Lordship  of  his  great  respect  for 
you  and  your  office.  The  church  had  not 
made  much  progress  :  scarcely  one  of  the 
King's  boys  were  at  school,  and  the  school  bills 
were  unpaid,  including  the  master's  salary. 
I  waited  for  a  fortnight  and  then  solicited 
another  interview  with  H.M.,  whom  I  found  as 
pleasant  as  ever.     I  asked  what  had  been  the 

263 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

caase  of  the  delays.  H.M.  replied  that  I 
must  not  think  too  much  of  such  things,  as  he 
had  many  cares  and  anxieties  which  I  could  not 
know,  but  that  I  was  always  to  be  assured  of 
his  real  interest  in  my  work.  The  complaints 
were  discussed  seriatim  and  all  removed.  H.M. 
repeated  his  intention  of  sending  two  hundred 
boys  to  the  school  on  my  return  from  Bhamo. 
He  gave  me  a  lot  of  small  coin  to  distribute 
on  my  way  up,  and  placed  at  my  disposal 
a  gilded  boat  with  sixty  rowers  to  take  me 
to  the  steamer.  We  arrived  at  Bhamo  on 
December  ist.  A  large  number  of  Kachin 
sawhwas,  or  chiefs,  were  awaiting  the  steamer 
Through  a  Burmese  interpreter  I  had  much, 
conversation  with  them.  They  told  me,  in 
reply  to  my  inquiries,  that  they  would  gladly 
welcome  a  Christian  teacher.  They  said  that 
they  hoped  that  such  a  teacher  would  protect 
them  from  the  oppressions  of  the  Burmese, 
but,  of  course,  I  rapidly  disabused  their  minds 
of  any  idea  of  this  being  a  political  move. 

On  returning  to  Mandalay  I  was  told  that 
during  my  absence  our  premises  had  been 
watched,  and  one  monk,  who  had  come  as 
usual   to   visit   us,   had  been   marched   off   to 

264 


APPENDIX 

punishment.  On  the  following  day  the  watch- 
man and  his  attendants  were  pointed  out  to 
me,  and  I  called  them  and  asked  them  their 
business.  They  replied  that  they  had  been 
sent  by  the  sayadawgyi,  or  chief  monk,  to  arrest 
any  monk  who  entered  our  compound,  and 
that  the  Hlut  daw,  or  High  Court,  had  ratified 
the  order. 

I  inquired  if  they  had  any  written  order  to 
act,  and  on  their  replying  in  the  negative,  I 
said  that  I  had  no  reason  to  believe  their  story, 
and  as  it  was  contrary  to  the  King's  promise 
I  ordered  them  to  leave  the  compound,  and 
threatened  to  send  them  to  the  magistrate  if 
they  came  again. 

I  have  been  advised  to  put  before  you  the 
points  of  the  controversy  between  me  and 
Major  McMahon,  the  British  PoHtical  Agent. 
Neither  from  your  Lordship,  the  Society,  or 
General  Fytche,  have  I  ever  been  ordered  to 
limit  my  visits  to  the  King  or  to  consult  the 
Political  Agent  concerning  them.  Such  direc- 
tions would  have  placed  me,  instead  of  a  mis- 
sionary, as  an  agent  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment, and  an  object  of  distrust  to  the  King. 
With    regard    to    the    Burmese    order    of    the 

265 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

Tsalwe,  I  never  asked  for  or  obtained  it  for 
myself  or  others.  When  the  King  gave  it  to 
two  of  my  present  and  one  of  my  late  pupils, 
he  did  it  of  his  own  accord.  I  look  forward 
with  patience  to  a  settlement  of  the  matter. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be,  My  Lord  Bishop, 
Your  obedient  faithful  Servant, 

J.  E.  Marks. 


Letter  6 

To  one  of  the  King's  Ministers. 

January  2nd,  1871. 

I  received  the  King's  instructions  to  have 
the  princes  and  Lapetyedawthas  taught  in  the 
Palace  instead  of  in  the  Royal  School.  I  am 
anxious  in  all  things  that  I  possibly  can  to 
please  H.M.,  but  I  do  not  think  that  this  plan 
will  be  good  for  the  princes  or  Lapetyedawthas. 
They  have  now  been  absent  from  school  for 
more  than  live  months,  in  which  time  they 
have  forgotten  much  that  they  had  learnt. 
They  should  be  taught  by  myself  or  Mr.  Powell 
and  not  by  an  under  teacher.  When  we  began 
this  school,  it  was  on  the  understanding  that 

266 


APPENDIX 

the  princes  and  a  very  large  number  of  sons 
would  be  sent  by  H.M.  Only  twenty-five  have 
been  sent.  We  cannot,  without  the  Lord 
Bishop's  permission,  daily  leave  our  school  to 
teach  in  the  Palace.  I  will,  however,  write 
to  the  Bishop  and  tell  him  the  King's  wishes. 
Meanwhile,  I  will  daily  send  one  of  the  pupil 
teachers  into  the  Palace  and  will  come  occa- 
sionally and  see  what  is  done.  I  can  but 
pray,  however,  that  H.M.  will  fulfil  his  royal 
promise,  and  send  a  large  number  of  boys  here, 
and  to  let  the  Lapetyedawthas  come  to  this 
school.  I  ask  this  for  the  benefit  of  H.M 
and  his  subjects. 

John  E.  Marks 


Letter  7 

To  Bishop  Milman. 

Clergy  House ^  Mandalay. 

January  21st,  1871. 

My  Lord  Bishop, 

A  short  time  ago  the  King  called  me 

and  said  that  it  was  his  wish  that  the  princes 

267 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

and  Palace  boys  should  learn  in  the  Palace 
instead  of  going  to  the  city  to  school ;  that 
there  were  state  reasons  for  this,  of  which  he 
could  not  speak  particularly.  These,  I  believe, 
to  be  a  prophecy  by  the  Brahmins  that  during 
the  next  few  months  some  great  calamity  is 
impending  over  him  and  his  family.  H.M. 
said  he  would  build  a  school  in  the  Palace, 
and  that  I  myself  or  one  of  the  teachers  should 
go  daily  to  teach.  I  replied  in  a  letter  that 
such  a  proposal  involved  a  change  in  the  plan 
on  which  the  Mission  school  was  founded,  and 
that  I  must  therefore  consult  your  Lordship. 
But  that  meanwhile  I  would  not  object,  under 
the  circumstances,  to  the  princes  learning  in 
the  Palace  under  a  pupil  teacher,  and  that  I 
would  supervise  their  education  ;  but  that  I 
could  not  consent  to  the  other  Palace  boys  being 
withdrawn.  H.M.  at  once  consented,  called  all 
the  pages,  and  insisted  on  their  punctual 
attendance  at  school,  threatening  that  in  case 
of  irregularity  he  would  punish  them  and 
dismiss  their  parents.  School  has  grown 
wonderfully  since. 

The  pupil  teachers  go  daily  in  turn  to  the 
Palace    to   teach    the    princes,    bringing    their 

268 


APPENDIX 

reports  and  exercises  to  me,  and  I  go  to  see 
them  once  or  twice  a  week  until  your  Lord- 
ship's orders  are  received. 

I  remain  .  .  . 

J.  E.  Marks. 


Letter  8 

To  the  Rev.  F.  R.  Vallings.  ^     ^ 

Mandalay, 

St.  Matthias'  Day,  1871. 

I  greatly  regret  that  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta 
did  not  see  the  King  when  he  was  in  Mandalay. 
Despite  of  all  patriotism,  I  cannot  but  think 
that  the  King  was  right.  If  the  Bishop  came 
up  as  he  professed  in  his  private  capacity,  and 
not  as  a  Government  official,  the  Political 
Agent  would  not  have  insisted  in  accompany- 
ing him  to  the  Palace.  The  King's  argument 
was  this  :  If  the  Bishop  comes  alone — i.e., 
without  the  Political  Agent — I  will  accord  to 
him  the  highest  honours  accorded  to  any  cleric 
of  my  own  people.  If  he  comes  politically 
with  the  Pohtical  Agent,  I  will  give  him  all 

269 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

I  gave  to  Generals  Fytche  and  Phayre.  This, 
McMahon,  acting  for  the  Bishop,  decHned.  The 
King  gave  way  and  said  :  ''  Come  both  and  I 
will  do  all."  McMahon's  answer  was  that  it 
was  too  late,  though  they  were  here  six  days 
afterwards !  The  princes  have  not  been  to 
school  here  since  the  Bishop  left.  There  is  a 
farce  of  a  teacher  being  sent  daily,  and  I  go 
occasionally  to  see  how  they  are  getting  on, 
but  it  is  a  farce.  The  other  Palace  boys  come 
better,  but  not  in  increasing  numbers.  Mean- 
while the  school  grows  from  town  boys.  We 
have  altogether  twenty  boarders,  all  of  whose 
expenses  are  paid  by  the  King,  though  most 
of  them  are  Rangoon  or  Maulmein  boys. 

You  have,  I  daresay,  heard  of  the  unfortu- 
nate difference  between  McMahon  and  myself, 
now  settled  by  reference  to  Council.  While 
my  brother  was  here,  McMahon  wrote  to  me 
to  say  that  he  should  complain  to  Fytche  of 
my  frequent  visits  to  the  King,  though  I  had 
only  been  at  that  time  nine  times  in  ten 
months.  I,  of  course,  said :  ''  Do  so."  On 
the  following  day— Sunday— he  sent  his  clerk 
to  tell  the  Burmese  Minister  that  I  was  not  to 
be  received  into  the  Palace  without  his  consent 

270 


APPENDIX 

and  this  without  a  word  to  me  on  the  subject 
except  the  one  letter.  Without  knowing  of 
this,  my  brother  and  I  went  to  the  Palace  on 
the  Monday  to  say  good-bye,  when  we  were 
told  of  this  by  the  King  as  a  joke.  I  dis- 
believed it.  The  clerk  was  sent  for  to  repeat 
his  message.  The  matter  then  was  referred  to 
Fytche,  and  by  him  to  the  Governor-General, 
and  by  me  to  the  Bishop.  The  reply  came  by 
last  mail  that  I  have  no  poUtical  status,  and 
have  nothing  to  do  with  McMahon,  while  yet 
a  Government  stipend  is  assured. 

Yours  faithfully, 

J.  E.  Marks. 


Letter  9 

To  Bishop  Milman. 

April  i^thj  1871. 

My  Lord  Bishop, 

I  have  delayed  to  write  to  your  Lord- 
ship in  the  hope  that  I  might  have  better  news 
to  convey  to  you  in  regard  to  the  prospects  of 
the  Mission,  but  I  now  feel  it  better  at  once  to 
let  your  Lordship  know  exactly  our  position 

371 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

and  prospects.  In  spite  of  his  repeated 
promises,  the  King  has  sent  no  new  boys  to  the 
school.  We  have  now  only  eleven  Palace  boys 
and  about  as  many  others  sent  with  H.M.'s 
permission.  The  total  number  is  about 
seventy. 

The  princes  have  not  been  to  school  since 
your  Lordship's  visit  to  Mandalay.  The  King 
says  that  there  are  political  reasons  why  he 
could  not  send  his  sons  daily  through  the  city 
to  school,  and  that  though  he  had  sent  them 
at  the  opening  of  the  school  for  encouragement, 
it  could  not  be  continued.  But  he  promised 
to  build  a  school  within  the  Palace  where  I 
might  live  and  sleep  and  teach  the  princes.  I 
said  that  such  a  change  in  the  arrangements 
could  not  be  made  without  your  permission.  I 
pointed  out  from  the  register  that  the  princes 
had  lost  more  than  half  of  each  month,  and 
that  they  were  the  most  backward  pupils  in 
the  school. 

In  a  letter  to  the  King,  dated  the  nth  inst., 
I  pointed  out  that  the  church  was  only  half 
finished,  and  that  there  was  neither  funds  nor 
timber  to  go  on  with.  That  the  EngHsh  builder 
had  already,  in  eleven  months,  received  Rs.2,200, 

272 


APPENDIX 

at  Rs.  200  per  month,  and  that  the  dilatoriness 
in  supplying  material  was  adding  considerably 
to  the  cost.     I  have  had  no  answer  as  yet. 

Six  weeks  ago  I  appUed  to  the  King  to  fulfil 
his  promise  to  grant  us  the  remaining  piece  of 
the  compound  to  the  west  of  the  church.  The 
King  replied  that  he  had  given  us  a  larger 
piece  than  the  English  Government  had  given 
him  for  his  Monastery  in  Rangoon !  Of  course, 
I  pointed  out  that  the  King's  grant  was  a  free 
gift  and  not  a  mere  exchange,  but  that  I  had 
heard  from  General  Fytche  that  morning  that 
the  King's  agent  wanted  twenty  acres  in 
cantonments,  and  that  the  plot  required  would 
include  the  rifle  butts  and  the  commissariat 
and  elephant  sheds,  and  that  the  amount 
granted  by  the  Government  to  the  King  of 
Burma  was  more  than  twice  that  granted  to 
the  King  of  Siam  for  similar  purposes.  The 
King  said  that  he  was  not  to  be  compared  with 
the  King  of  Siam  ! 

The  Buddhist  monks  are  still  afraid  to  come 
to  see  me,  but  I  still  go  out  to  them  in  the 
evenings  and  talk  with  them,  and  I  have  given 
away  a  large  number  of  books  and  tracts.  I 
am  enabled  to  place  a  complete  copy  of  the 

273  18 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

Bible    in    Burmese     in     sixty    of    the    largest 
monasteries  in  Mandalay. 

There  is  not  work  enough  in  our  small  school 
of  fifty  or  sixty  in  attendance  for  so  large  a 
staff.  With  myself,  a  schoolmaster  by  nature, 
it  would  be  desirable  to  send  Mr.  Powell  to 
Maulmein. 

|Your  faithful  Servant, 

J.  E.  Marks. 


Letter  io 

To  Mr.  Jones,  Merchant,  Rangoon. 

Mandalay,  April  2yth,  1871. 

My  dear  Jones, 

To-day,  by  H.M.'s  own  request,  I 
wrote  him  a  private  letter  on  the  growls  of 
Englishmen  against  H.M.,  and  the  way  to 
satisfy  them.  I  deprecated  his  nomination  of 
so  many  royal  agents,  which  I  assured  him  was 
not  for  his  interest.  I  suggested  that  such 
as  you,  men  of  capital  and  energy,  should  be 
called  first-class  agents,  and  that  there  should 
be  agents  of  the  second  and  third  class.     I  will 

274 


APPENDIX 

tell  you  the  result  as  soon  as  I  know.  I  have 
already  taken  steps  in  the  matter  of  the  Tsalwhj 
and  believe  that  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in 
getting  the  extra  three  strings. 

When  I  was  with  H.M.  on  Tuesday  last, 
Dr.  W.  was  showing  drawings,  etc.,  from 
engines  and  carriages,  for  a  railway  from 
Mandalay  to  Toungoo.  I  believe  he  is  trying 
to  negotiate  a  loan  of  some  lacs,  and  I  shall 
strongly  urge  H.M.  not  to  accept. 

Trade  seems  improving  and  confidence  is 
gradually  being  restored. 

Yours  ever  sincerely, 

J.  E.  Marks. 


Letter  ii 

Mandalay y  May  ^th,  1871. 
To  F.  W.  Rhys  Davids,  Esq.,  CCS. 

I  am  ashamed  to  have  kept  you  so  long,  but, 
as  mentioned  before,  this  is  not  the  region  of 
rapid  action,  and  I  am  afraid  that  I  am  be- 
coming infected  with  the  genius  loci. 

Yesterday  I  took  advantage  of  an  oppor- 
275  i8* 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

tunity,  when  I  was  alone  with  the  King,  to 
mention  your  wants.  H.M.  at  once  bade  me 
write  and  tell  you  that  he  will  be  happy  to 
supply  you  with  a  copy,  not  alone  of  the  Dipa 
Vansa,  but  of  the  whole  nine  books  of  the 
series,  and  that  he  will  forward  them  through 
me  at  an  early  date. 

May  I  ask  if  a  key  to  the  Burmese  characters 
in  which  the  Pali  is  written  would  be  of  use 
to  you  ?  If  so,  I  will  send  you  one  that  I 
drew  up  some  time  ago  to  accompany  the 
MSS.  which  I  sent  home  to  England. 
Believe  me,  yours  sincerely, 

J.  E.  Marks. 


Letter  12 

To  J.  Talboys  Wheeler,  Esq. 

Mandalay,  May  2gth,   1871. 

In  a  previous  letter  to  you  some  time  ago 
I  mentioned  that  while  H.M.  himself  did  not 
hate  Major  Sladen,  or  care  about  his  return  to 
Mandalay,  H.M.'s  Ministers  could  not  work 
with    Major    Sladen*    To-day,    repeating    this, 

276 


APPENDIX 

H.M.  informs  me  that  I  quite  misunderstood 
his  remark.  That  H.M.  has  himself  the 
strongest  possible  objection  to  Major  Sladen's 
return  as  Political  Agent,  if  only  on  the 
grounds  before  mentioned,  viz.,  that  his 
Ministers  cannot  get  on  with  him.  The  King 
asked  me  to  let  this  correction  of  the  meaning 
of  his  remark  be  sent  everywhere  I  had  sent 
my  former  statement. 

Yours  most  truly, 

J.  E.  Marks. 


Letter  13 

To  the  Rev.  F.  R.  VaUings. 

Mandalay,  June  24th ,  1871. 

My  dear  Vallings, 

All  is  going  on  fairly  here.  We  have 
our  trials.  The  King  got  terribly  out  of 
temper  with  me  one  day  when  he  heard  that 
Sladen  was  returning  to  Mandalay,  and  threat- 
ened to  turn  me  out  of  the  country  unless  I 
promised  to  write  to  the  Government  against 
him.     Of  course   I   refused,   and   there  was   a 

277 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

small  scene.  But  it  was  soon  over.  H.M. 
made  love  to  me  hard,  showed  more  kindness 
than  ever,  and  respects  me,  I  am  sure,  more 
than  ever  for  refusing  to  deceive  him. 

Can  you  count  on  the  S.P.C.K.'s  help  with 
a  revision  of  the  Burmese  Prayer  Book  ?  The 
first  edition  is  now  out  of  print,  and  we  want 
now  to  issue  the  Litany,  Confirmation,  Mar- 
riage and  Baptism  service. 

The  water  is  rising,  and  we  shall  soon  be 
inundated,  but  we  are  better  prepared.  The 
church  gets  on  well.  I  have  now  a  goodly 
number  of  communicants. 

Heartily  yours, 

J.  E.  Marks. 


Letter  14 

To  J.  Talboys  Wheeler,  Esq. 

Mandalay,  July  11th,  1871. 

My  dear  Wheeler, 

You  may  not  be  aware  that  Sladen  is 
one  of  my  best  friends  ;  that  it  was  through 
him,  mainly,  if  not  entirely,  that  this  Mission 

278 


Appendix 

was  started,  and  that  I  came  to  Mandalay. 
When  he  left,  his  enemies,  unofficial  as  I  am, 
began  to  slander  him,  especially  to  the  King. 
On  my  return  from  Rangoon  in  November, 
1869,  the  King  at  my  first  interview  repeated 
some  of  these  slanders  as  truths.  I  rephed 
that  I  knew  them  to  be  false.  Whereupon  he 
waxed  wrath  and  left  the  room.  A  month 
after,  when  I  was  present,  the  Yaw  aiwin  wun 
related  to  H.M.  the  same  tales,  whereupon  I 
rebuked  him  sharply.  The  King  laughed  this 
time  and  said  that  I  was  bad  tempered,  but 
that  we  would  talk  of  something  else. 

For  a  year  and  nine  months  Sladen's  name 
was  not  mentioned  to  me  by  H.M.  until  one 
day  when  he  was  speaking  of  his  universal 
benevolence,  how  he  loved  English,  French, 
Chinese,  etc.  ;  he  wound  up  by  saying  :  ''  And 
I  do  not  hate  Sladen.  It  was  only  my  Ministers 
who  could  not  get  on  with  him."  All  believed 
that  H.M.  was  opening  the  door  of  reconcilia- 
tion should  Sladen  return.  I  gladly  wrote 
this  to  you,  Fytche,  Sladen  and  others,  but 
to  none  officially,  of  course. 

I  certainly  must  be  acquitted  of  all  desire  to 
interfere    in    politics.     Ever    since    McMahon's 

279 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

unwise  attempt  to  make  the  Burmese  Govern- 
ment look  upon  me  as  his  subordinate,  I  have 
zealously  tried  to  convince  the  King  that  I 
have  no  connection  with  the  Government  of 
India.  The  Bishop  wrote  to  me  :  *'  It  will 
be  better  that  you  should  be  free  from  Resi- 
dential authority,  except  what  due  friendHness 
and  patriotism  may  require."  You  assure 
me,  and  I  feel  that  you  do  so  kindly,  that  my 
position  would  be  seriously  imperilled  if  it 
were  known  or  supposed  that  I  discussed  the 
merits  of  political  officers  with  the  King. 
So  then,  in  the  same  spirit,  I  would  reply  that 
I  do  not  do  so. 

My  position  here  is  no  enviable  one,  but  it 
is  one  from  which  I  cannot  be  reHeved.  The 
King  threatens  to  burn  the  school  if  I  leave, 
and  the  Bishop,  to  whom  I  had  applied  for 
rehef,  wrote  me,  in  his  last  letter :  "  You 
must  stick  to  your  post  at  all  hazard." 

Sincerely  yours, 

J.  E.  Marks. 


380 


APPENDIX 


Letter  15 
To  the  Sec,  S.P.G. 

Mandalayy  October  2ndy  1871. 

The  Burma  Bible  and  Tract  Society  fur- 
nished me  with  a  very  large  supply  of  books 
and  tracts  in  Burmese.  I  have  distributed 
them  from  time  to  time,  but  within  the  last 
week  or  so  our  compound  has  been  thronged 
with  people  going  to  see  the  gold-covered  and 
jewel-decked  umbrella,  or  Htiy  which  at 
enormous  expense  has  been  prepared  here, 
and  is  now  on  its  way  down  to  Rangoon, 
where  it  is  to  crown  the  Shwe  Dagon  pagoda. 
The  Hti  has  cost,  I  believe,  about  £25,000. 

As  soon  as  it  became  known  that  I  had 
tracts  to  distribute,  I  was  simply  besieged  for 
them.  All  day  long  people  came,  and  in  such 
numbers  that  I  was  obhged  to  take  measures 
to    prevent    accidents.     Yesterday — Sunday — 

381 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

my  stock  began  to  show  signs  of  exhaustion. 
A  Httle  tract  called  *'  Justice  and  Mercy 
Reconciled  "  had  been  in  great  demand,  and 
I  was  reduced  to  a  single  copy.  So  I  made  all 
applicants,  about  three  hundred,  sit  down 
under  our  covered  way,  and  read  it  aloud  to 
them  all.  I  then  gave  the  tract  to  a  venerable 
old  man  who  had  been  an  earnest  listener. 

To-day  I  gave  away  my  last  tract  and 
hundreds  of  applicants  have  been  sent  empty 
away.  I  would  not  overrate  the  importance 
of  the  distribution  ;  but  I  think  there  is  cause 
for  thankfulness  that  in  Mandalay  I  should 
be  permitted  to  distribute  thousands  of 
Christian  tracts,  and  that  I  should  find 
thousands  glad  and  anxious  to  receive  them. 


Letter  i6 

To  the  Sec,  S.P.G. 

Mandalay,  October,  1872. 

My  opportunities  for  Mission  work  are  here 
very  restricted.  I  believe  that  to  attempt 
bazaar  preaching  would  cause  such  a  disturb- 

282 


APPENDIX 

ance  ag"  would  endanger  any  prospect  of  other 
usefulness  in  Mandalay.  I  cannot  hide  from 
myself  that  even  our  present  efforts  are  re- 
garded with  more  toleration  than  favour  by 
the  Hpongyis  and  nobles,  and  it  is  only  the 
powerful  support  of  the  King  which  enables 
us  to  stand  our  ground. 

I  embrace  every  opportunity  of  visits  from 
Hpongyis  and  people  to  explain  the  truths  of 
the  Gospel.  A  short  time  ago  one  of  the 
Mingy  is  came  here  with  a  large  retinue.  I 
gave  him  a  copy  of  the  Bible  in  Burmese 
which  he  read  eagerly  and  accepted  thank- 
fully, and  by  his  permission  I  distributed  suit- 
able tracts  to  all  his  followers.  I  have  a  great 
number  of  visitors  of  all  ranks.  The  roads  are 
so  bad  that  the  people  gladly  come  through 
our  compound  on  their  way  to  and  from  the 
cemetery.  They  have  always  full  permission 
to  come  into  my  house  and  look  round,  and 
then  they  gladly  enter  into  religious  conversa- 
tion and  accept  Christian  tracts  and  books. 
Yet  even  this  has  aroused  considerable  excite- 
ment, and  more  than  one  undoubted  friend 
of  the  Mission  has  advised  caution  in  the 
work. 

283 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

I  have  been  in  close  connection  with  His 
Majesty  since  I  took  up  teaching  the  princes 
in  the  Palace.  His  Majesty  always  listened 
kindly  and  attentively  when  I  talked  of  our 
holy  rehgion,  and  he  delighted  to  tell  me  of  his 
own  religion  and  of  his  early  life.  The  young 
princes  were  making  good  progress,  and  a 
sixth  was  sent  to  join  them.  But  at  the  end 
of  April  all  this  changed. 

I  felt  very  poorly,  and  determined  to  take 
a  short  trip  on  the  river.  I  left  on  the  3rd  of 
May  and  returned  on  the  9th.  On  the  day 
that  I  left,  I  heard  the  news  of  the  death  of 
the  Myotik  nan  ma  daw^  the  favourite  Queen. 
His  Majesty  took  this  grief  much  to  heart, 
seeking  privacy,  and  shunning  all  but  abso- 
lutely necessary  business.  Since  that  time 
I  have  seen  the  King  but  seldom,  and  only  once 
in  private. 

I  heartily  wish  that  it  were  in  my  power  to 
tell  you  of  more  material  and  visible  success 
in  our  work.  But  even  if  it  is  not  given  to 
us  to  record  numerous  conversions  and  bap- 
tisms, it  is  still  matter  for  thankfulness  that 
we  may  go  on  giving  Christian  instruction  to 
nearly  a  hundred  boys  and  young  men,  that 

284 


APPENDIX 

we  may  distribute  Christian  books  and  tracts, 
and  that  we  may  hold  services  for  the  small 
band  of  Europeans  and  native  Christians, 
wdthout  let  or  hindrance. 


Letter  17 
To  the  Sec,  S.P.G. 

Mandalay,  July  2^rd,  1874. 

Reverend  Sir, 

I  feel  that  the  time  has  arrived  when 
it  would  be  vain  to  hope  further  that  the 
King  will  pay  the  money  which  he  owed  when 
he  ceased  to  support  the  school,  and  that  I 
must  now  look  to  the  Society  for  that 
help. 

We  may  not  hide  it  from  ourselves  any 
longer  that  the  work  of  the  Mission  in  the 
future  will  have  to  be  carried  on,  not  with 
the  aid  of  the  King,  but  in  spite  of  him.  But, 
speaking  for  myself,  I  cannot  say  that  I  regret 
this.  Those  who  come  to  us  will  be  more  in 
earnest,  and  less  actuated  by  worldly  motives, 
while  for  myself,  I  cannot  but  rejoice  at  the 

285 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

termination  of  my  connection  with  the  Palace, 
and  that  I  have  not  to  spend  day  after  day 
waiting  for  an  interview  with  the  King  and  in 
appHcation  for  money  for  the  school  and 
church. 

I  would  not  appear  too  urgent,  but  I  would 
beg  to  remind  the  Society  that  I  am  person- 
ally responsible  for  the  money.  Of  course, 
should  the  King  feel  it  his  duty  to  pay  the  back 
money,  and  I  should  be  at  liberty  to  accept  it, 
I  should  at  once  forward  it  to  you.  But  there 
is  httle  Hkelihood  of  this,  for  H.M.,  to  use  a 
homely  proverb,  is  killing  the  goose  that  lays 
the  golden  eggs  of  commerce  and  self-reliance 
among  his  people,  and  of  course  his  treasury  is 
in  a  chronic  state  of  emptiness. 

I  do  not  think  that  the  school  in  Mandalay 
can  be  carried  on  for  less  than  Rs.  350  per 
month.  It  is  useless,  at  present,  to  think  of 
school  fees.  It  is  not  Mandalay  custom,  and 
we  should  empty  the  school  if  we  attempted 
just  now  to  enforce  them. 

If  the  Bishop  would  sanction  an  appeal  to 
the  public,  I  will  submit  a  draft  for  his  Lord- 
ship's approval.  I  believe  it  would  tide  us 
over    till  I  get  to  England,  when,  if  my  legs 

286 


APPENDIX 

will  carry  me,  I  believe  I  shall  be  able  to  get 
substantial  help. 

I  am,  dear  Sir, 

Your  faithful  Servant, 

J.  E.  Marks. 


Letter  i8 
To  Bishop  Milman. 

Mandalay,  October  i6th,  1874. 

My  Lord  Bishop, 

Your  kind  letter  of  September  19th 
reached  me  on  the  12th.  I  beg  to  express 
my  most  sincere  thanks  for  the  kind  tone  of 
your  Lordship's  letter,  as  well  as  for  your 
noble  letter  on  my  behalf  to  the  Governor- 
General. 

I  must  confess  my  intense  surprise  at  the 
action  of  the  Governor-General  in  this  matter. 
From  what  I  had  heard  of  Lord  Northbrook, 
I  certainly  expected  very  different  treatment. 
That  he  should  withdraw  the  subsidy  for  the 
maintenance  "  of  state  services,"  as  the 
official  letter  put  it,  was  of  course  within 
Government  power,  and  this  action  was  known 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

to  the  King  at  least  on  the  same  day  as  it  was 
known  to  me,  and  H.M.  pubUcly  interpreted 
it  to  mean  that  the  Enghsh  Government 
concurred  with  his  conduct  towards  me. 

Lord  Northbrook  is  perhaps  not  aware  that 
I  was  sent  up  here  in  1868  by  your  Lordship, 
with  the  full  consent  of  Sir  John  Lawrence,  at 
the  recommendation  of  General  Fytche,  who 
had  known  me  since  i860,  and  at  the  particular 
invitation  of  H.M. 

That  the  King  not  only  asked  your  Lordship 
in  1873  not  to  send  another  clergyman  here 
instead  of  me,  but  so  late  as  December  last, 
when  I  had  made  all  arrangements  to  go  home 
on  medical  leave,  and  a  locum  tenens  was 
already  in  Rangoon,  the  King  asked  me,  as 
a  personal  favour,  to  postpone  my  departure 
for  a  year,  and  I  did  so. 

I  can  only  recollect  two  or  three  instances 
in  which  my  conduct  here  has  not  met  with 
your  Lordship's  entire  approbation,  or  has 
been  the  subject  of  correspondence  with 
Government. 

The  King  has  been  exceedingly  angry  at  my 
repeated  and  determined  refusal  to  write  his 
wishes  to  the  Governor-General. 

288 


APPENDIX 

I  would  venture  to  remark  that  even  if  on 
either  of  the  above  occasions  my  conduct  was 
blameworthy,  it  was  the  reverse  of  offence 
against  the  Burmese  Government. 

It  has  ever  been  my  wish  to  abstain  from 
interference  in  poHtics  or  business.  But  this 
has  been  exceedingly  difficult.  The  King  has 
ever  been  accustomed  for  clergymen  to  take 
part  in  these  matters.  At  the  present  day 
the  monks  are  the  virtual  rulers  of  the  country. 
In  the  embassy  of  Colonel  Phayre  he  had  the 
assistance  of  the  Very  Rev.  P.  Abbona,  and 
H.M.  Government  of  India  made  a  suitable 
verbal  and  pecuniary  acknowledgment  of  his  aid. 

In  an  interview  with  the  King  in  the  early 
part  of  the  year,  he  complained  that  although 
he  had  done  so  much  for  me,  I  had  been  of  no 
use  to  him.  Whilst  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy 
worked  for  his  interest  with  the  ItaUan  and 
French  embassies,  H.M.  could  not  understand 
the  abstention  from  politics  on  my  part. 

I  cannot  accept  the  entire  responsibihty  of 

the  publication  of  my  reports.     Some  of  these 

have    been    published    against    my    wish.      I 

venture  to  submit  that  it  is  my  duty  to  write 

my  reports  truthfully,  plainly  and  fearlessly^ 

269  19 


FORTY  YEARS   IN   BURMA 

to  give  facts  and  my  impressions.  The  responsi- 
bility of  publishing  these  reports  must  rest 
with  those  to  whom  they  are  addressed. 

I  am  perfectly  willing  to  accept  all  responsi- 
bility for  every  one  of  the  facts  in  my  pub- 
lished reports.  I  challenge  the  fullest  inquiry. 
That  which  I  reported  to  the  Bible  Society  a 
year  ago  is  perfectly  true  now.  I  frequently 
distribute  hundreds  of  tracts  in  a  day.  I  gave 
away  more  than  two  hundred  in  my  own  house 
the  day  before  yesterday.  The  matter  with 
the  King  is  simply  one  of  money,  and  he  seized 
the  occasion  of  that  report,  misrepresented 
to  him,  to  try  to  avoid  the  payments  which 
had  fallen  into  arrears. 

Since    April    loth,    the    day    on    which    the 

King  told  me  to  leave  his  country,  H.M.  has 

not  paid  the  arrears  for  which  Captain  Strover 

twice  asked  him,  but  neither  have  I  feared  or 

suffered  the  least  annoyance,  injury  or  insult. 

I  still  have  no  door  to  my  house  nor  closed 

gate    to    my    compound.      The    princes,    my 

former  pupils,   keep   up   intercourse   with  me, 

and.  from     the     heir-apparent,    the     Thagara 

Prince,   I   have  this  week  received  very  kind 

and  friendly  communications.     The  monks  visit 

290 


APPENDIX 

us   more   frequently   and   in   greater   numbers 
than  ever. 

Mr.  Eden  wrote  to  me  his  belief  that  when 
the  King  ceased  to  fear  that  we  should  trouble 
him  for  money,  he  would  be  glad  to  listen  to 
me  again,  and  your  Lordship  said  the  same. 
In  a  country  where  the  confidential  minister 
of  to-day  is  in  prison  to-morrow  (as  I  have 
seen),  who  can  expect  always  to  be  in  favour  ? 
Your  Lordship  will  not  forget  how  that  the 
King  was  wishing  to  ask  you  to  request  the 
Governor-General  to  remove  Captain  Strover, 
who  was  then  out  of  favour.  For  my  own 
part,  as  I  informed  your  Lordship  in  a  pre- 
vious letter,  I  will  not  leave  Mandalay  until 
matters  are  settled  by  those  whose  duty  it  is 
to  decide.  I  am  just  now  in  a  very  bad  state 
of  health  and  am  in  the  doctor's  hands  ;  but 
were  I  much  worse  and  much  poorer,  I  should 
still  feel  it  my  duty  to  adhere  to  my  resolve. 
When  I  can  honourably  leave  Mandalay, 
nothing  would  delight  me  better  than  to 
resume  the  work  which  ten  years  ago  I  com- 
menced in  Rangoon. 

Your  lordship's  faithful  Servant, 

J.  E.  Marks. 
291  19* 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 


Letter  19 

To  the  Sec,  S.P.G. 

Mandalay^  October  ^oth,  1874. 

My  dear  Mr.  Bray, 

My  telegram,  sent  with  the  full  con- 
sent of  Captain  Strover,  will  have  informed 
you  that  that  gentleman  has  consented  to  audit 
the  accounts  of  this  Mission,  and  has  certified 
to  their  correctness.  The  result  has  not  been 
arrived  at  without  considerable  trouble  to 
Captain  Strover,  due,  I  am  afraid,  chiefly  from 
my  method,  or  rather  want  of  method,  in  the 
keeping  of  my  accounts.  We  began  here  in 
a  hand-to-mouth  method,  and  I  fear  that  we 
have  kept  to  it.  But  yet  all  items  of  receipts 
and  expenditure  have  been  entered,  though 
not  all  in  the  same  book.  This  has  given 
Captain  Strover  so  much  trouble  in  balancing 
all,  and  I  fear  that  though  he  has  satisfied 
himself  with  the  correctness  of  my  accounts, 

292 


APPENDIX 

he  has  formed  a  very  poor  opinion  of  my 
abiUties  as  a  book-keeper.  This  is  what  has 
always  troubled  me  in  my  work  more  than 
anything  else,  and  I  will  certainly  ask  you  to 
allow  me  to  be  relieved  of  it  in  Rangoon. 

I  have  written  to  my  successor  my  view  as 
to  what  would  be  advisable  for  him  to  do  here, 
and  I  may  say  that  those  views  have  been 
endorsed  by  Captain  Strover.  I  say  this : 
Be  friendly  with,  if  possible,  but  by  all  means 
be  independent  of  the  King.  Never  ask  him 
for  money.  Never  receive  any  without,  as 
the  Bishop  directed  me,  sending  it  to  the 
secretary  at  Calcutta.  So  long  as  he  does  not 
ask  him  for  money,  H.M.  will  love  and  respect 
him.  But  if  once,  induced  by  royal  promises 
and  temporary  favour,  he  becomes  involved  in 
a  large  boarding  school  or  costly  day  school, 
he  will  sooner  or  later  have  to  ''  eat  dirt." 

To-morrow  I  take  my  last  journey  to  Bhamo. 
The  kindness  of  the  Company  allows  me  to 
take  sixteen  boys  free  of  cost. 

Believe  me,  ever  sincerely  yours, 

J.  E.  Marks. 


293 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 


Letter  20 
To  the  Sec,  S.P.G. 

St.  John's  College. 

January  2^rd,   1875. 

You  cannot  tell  how  pleased  I  am  to  be  in 
Rangoon  again,  and  how  pleased  everybody  is 
to  see  me.  1  am  holding  levees  of  my  boys  of 
many  generations  back  daily,  and  the  school 
is  mounting  up.  It  and  the  Mission  will 
require  all  my  energies.  We  have  a  palatial 
High  School  to  do  battle  with,  but  I  have  no 
fear.  I  am  really  sorry  to  think  of  leaving  a 
work  which  seems  to  need  me  so  much.  I 
cannot  yet  say  definitely  whether  I  can  leave 
it  at  all.     It  depends  on  other  matters. 


^ 


APPENDIX 


Letter  21 

Dr.  Marks  to  King  Thibaw  on  his  Accession. 
[Translation,] 

The  EngHsh  Priest  salutes  the  King. 

The  Priest  has  heard  with  much  sorrow  of 
the  death  of  the  royal  father  from  whom  he 
received  many  and  great  gifts  for  his  schools, 
his  pupils  and  himself. 

But  the  Priest  is  very  glad  that  your  Majesty 
his  royal  pupil  (tahyidaw)  has  been  chosen  to 
reign,  and  he  prays  that  you  may  have  a  long 
and  prosperous  reign  filled  with  the  blessings 
of  peace  and  plenty,  and  that  your  subjects 
may  be  under  your  rule,  numerous,  happy, 
loyal  and  contented. 

The  Priest  wishes  that  like  your  royal  father, 
your  Majesty  may  be  famous  for  your  mercy 
and  kindness  to  all  your  subjects,  and  especi- 
ally he  would  ask  your  royal  kindness  and 
clemency  for  the  princes,  your  royal  brothers 

295 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

and  schoolfellows ;  that  as  it  is  known  in 
England  and  other  countries  that  your 
Majesty  learned  in  an  English  school,  so  it 
may  be  known  that  when  you  ascended  the 
throne,  your  first  act  was  to  show  mercy  and 
kindness.  So  all  nations  will  praise  you, 
and  know  how  great  and  firm  your  govern- 
ment is. 

The  Priest  has  now  much  work.  His  school 
contains  550  boys,  with  more  than  120 
boarders.  He  cannot  leave  this  just  now ; 
but  in  about  three  months'  time  he  hopes  to 
be  able  to  come  to  Mandalay  to  see  the  power 
and  dignity  of  his  royal  pupil. 


Letter  22 

Dr.  Williams  to  Dr.  Marks  (referring  to  the 
above  letter). 

October  24/A,  1878. 

My  dear  Mr.  Marks, 

I  duly  received  your  letter  for  the 
King,  with  your  note  of  the  12th.  I  did  not 
expect  that  Mr.  Shaw  would  exactly  approve. 

296 


APPENDIX 

The  very  fact  of  your  showing  it  to  the  Chief 
Commissioner  and  the  Resident  tends  to  lend 
it  that  character  which  the  official  mind  not 
unnaturally  disHkes.  Officials  do  not  care 
what  is  said  or  done  by  a  total  outsider,  as  an 
outsider,  but  if  there  is  the  slightest  chance  of 
a  communication  being  regarded  as  somehow 
emanating  from,  or  permitted  by,  the  officials 
of  Government,  those  officials  become  respon- 
sible in  a  measure  for  the  tone  as  well  as  the 
meaning  of  the  letter. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  the  EngUsh  version 
was  all  that  could  be  desired,  but  the  Burmese 
is  not  perfect.  The  object  of  the  letter  is, 
of  course,  what  all  sympathize  with.  I  showed 
the  letter  to  the  S.  Byu,  who  evidently  did  not 
like  it.  As  to  presenting  it  without  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  Wungyis,  that  is  of  course  out  of 
the  question. 

The  young  King  is  not  a  king  in  the  sense 
that  his  father  was.  The  object  of  the  letter 
is,  I  am  glad  to  say,  not  urgent  just  now,  and 
I  am  sorry  to  say  that  your  tabyidaw  is  not 
showing  a  docile  disposition,  and  I  am  myself 
afraid  that  he  would  resent  the  letter.     You 

spoke    of    the    young    fellow    as    determined ; 

297 


FORTY  YEARS   IN  BURMA 

that  is  the  goody  word  for  obstinate.  He  has 
been  playing  the  fool  worse  and  worse,  has 
begun  to  speak  slightingly  of  the  Ministers,  and 
has  opened  his  mouth  unequivocally  as  to 
the  kalas.  The  HpongyiSy  too,  don't  come  off 
better.     He  says  he  knows  them  f 

The  insecurity  of  the  present  state  of  things 
is  considerable.  The  feeling  of  the  people  is 
that  the  Ministers  have  been  clever  in  making 
a  puppet,  but  the  puppet  is  turning  out  a  very 
ungovernable  "  human  boy "  with  a  strong 
touch  of  the  devil  in  him.  I  suppose  he  is 
clever  in  learning  by  rote,  but  he  certainly 
looks  a  stubborn,  sly,  unsympathetic  lad,  and 
he  always  has  worn  that  look  since  I  have 
known  him. 

The  princes  in  prison  are  all  safe  and  well ; 
those  at  the  Residency  are  safer  and  better. 
Of  course,  peace  is  assured,  and  a  new  regime 
has  begun  on  parabike.  But  the  real  feehng 
in  the  majority  of  the  men  in  power  is  one  of 
more  dislike  to  the  English  than  in  the  old 
King's  time.  As  to  your  young  Linban  Prince 
returning  here  under  guarantee,  it  would  be  a 
piece  of  folly  on  his  part,  and  certain  cruelty  on 
the  part  of  those  that  persuaded  him  to  do  so. 

298 


APPENDIX 

If  the  Kinwun  Mingyi  approves  of  your 
letter,  it  will  be  presented,  but  I  expect  it  will 
be,  ma  to  thay  bu.     Wait  a  little. 

Yours  sincerely, 

C.  B.  Williams. 


Letter  23 

Sir  Charles  Aitchison  to  Dr.  Marks. 

Government  House ^  Rangoon. 

February  13th,  1879. 

My  dear  Mr.  Marks, 

In  this  and  in  all  similar  matters  there 
is  really  only  one  answer  I  can  give.  The 
Government  have  a  representative  at  Mandalay 
who  has  a  very  ticklish  game  to  play.  I  cannot 
say  what  use  the  King  or  his  Ministers  may 
make  of  a  private  correspondence  with  you, 
however  harmless  that  correspondence  may 
be  in  itself. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  a  bad  use  may  be 
made  of  it  to  the  embarrassment  of  Mr.  Shaw, 
and,  therefore,  when  my  opinion  is  asked,  I 
can  only  advise  that  nothing  should  be  done  of 

299 


FORTY  YEARS  IN  BURMA 

which  Mr.  Shaw  is  not  fully  informed.  The 
case  would  be  very  different  if  the  Mandalay 
Court  were  less  barbarous. 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

C.  AlTCHISON. 


THE   END 


300 


INDEX 


INDEX 


{Buffnese  words  and  their  Eng- 
lish equivalents  are  given  in 
italics. ) 

Abbona,  Father  P.,   i6,  289. 

Account-keeping,  Trouble  with, 
292. 

Additional  Clergy  Society 
(A.  G.  S.),  107,  108,  233,  237. 

A  in  daw,  198. 

A  in  Shay  Min,  148. 

Aitchison,  Sir  Charles,  115,  225, 

299. 
Akyab,  80. 

Alompra  (Aloungpaya),  52,  145. 
Aloungpaya.     See  Alompra. 
Amarapoora,   144,   154. 
American   Baptist   Mission,    74, 

205, 
American  Church,  82. 
Amherst,  47,  50,  52. 
Annexation,   185. 
Arakanese  boys,  81. 
Ardagh,  General,  80. 
Armenians,  15. 

.\rnold,  Dr.,  of  Rugby,  32,  ^y. 
Attaran,  53. 
Aung-pinlai,   168. 

Bailey,  Rev.  Dr.,  94. 
Bamboo,  Uses  of.  51. 
Ba  Tu,  Moung,  172. 
Bazaar  preaching,  282. 
Benson,  Archbishop,  234. 
Bernard,  Sir  Charles,  10,  27,  116, 
142. 


Best,  J.  T.,  238,  239,  242. 
Bibby  Brothers,  Messrs.,  240. 
Bible  and  Tract  Society,  Bur- 
mese, 281,  290. 
Bigandet,    Bishop,    15,    66,    74, 

154. 
Birthday,  King  Mindon's,  171. 
Bishop's  College,  Calcutta,  2. 
Bishop's  Home  for  Girls,  141. 
Brahmins,  268. 
Bray,  Rev,  Dr.,  292. 
Budd,  Dr.  George,  96. 
Buddhism,  56,  73. 
Buddhist  Monastic  schools,  60. 
Buona  Vista,  S.  P.  G.  Mission 

at,  91. 
Burmese  language,  57. 
Burne,  K.  G.,  2^7. 


Cadet  corps,  35,  131,  235. 
Calcutta  Free  School,  76,  79. 
Chaplains  aid  missionary  work, 

60,  83,  108,  119,  124. 
Chard,  Archdeacon  C.  H.,   106, 

119,  134,  157,  180. 
Chard,  Mrs.,  120, 
Chin-ldn  {Burmese  football),  72. 
Chins,  81. 

Christ  Church,  Rangoon,  83. 
Clive,  Lord,  79. 
Clough,  Rev.  John,  83. 
Colbeck,  Rev.  G.,  246. 
Colbeck,   Rev.   J.  A.,   208,  211, 

222,  228,  231. 


303 


INDEX 


Cooke,  Miss  (Mrs.  Chard),   102, 

134. 

Copies  ton,  Dr.,  Bishop  of  Co- 
lombo, 241. 

Copleston,  F.  S.,  237. 

"  Cottage,  The,"  86,  122. 

Cotton,  Bishop,  2,  32,  62,  102, 
107,  124,  214. 

—  visits  Maulmein,  70. 

—  ordains  Dr.  Marks.  80. 

—  drowned  at  Kooshtea,  no. 
Courtenay,  J.,  236,  239. 
Cricket  at  Maulmein  school,  72. 

—  at  Mandalay  school.  196. 
Crofton,   Rev.   H.   W.,   83,    107, 

124. 
Crosthwaite,  Sir  Charles,  10. 
Crucifixion,  Burmese.  169. 

Dah  {Burmese  knife),  49. 
Dani  {thatch  of  leaves),  51. 
Davies,  C.  K.,  243. 
De  Lesseps,  M.,  92. 
Dipa  Vansa,  276. 
Director  of  Public  Instruction, 
77'  115.  H3- 

E.  C.  U.,  98. 

Eden,  Hon,  Ashley,  209,  291. 

Education  work  of  Dr.  Marks^ 
2^  et  sqq. 

Educational  syndicate,  27. 

Elephants,  Stories  of,  54. 

"  Encyclopaedia  Britannica," 
proposed  translation  into  Bur- 
mese,  179. 

Eurasians,  79,  138. 

European  pupils  in  native 
schools,  62  et  sqq. 


Fairclough,  Rev.  J. 
106.  112,  210. 


95.    10^. 


Finance,  Dr.  Marks'  difficulties 
with,  103. 

Font  presented  by  Queen  Vic- 
toria, 170. 

Freemasonry,   38. 

Fryer,  Sir  Frederick,  244. 

Fytche,  Major-General  Albert, 
68,  73,  106,  112,  124,  157,  158, 
253.  265,  273,  288. 

GiLLANDERs,  Arbuthuot  &  Co. 

84. 

Girls'  school,  103. 

Girls,  Education  of,  99,  132. 

"  Gospel  in  Burma,"  153. 

Government,  Dr.  Marks'  rela- 
tions with,  9  et  sqq. 

Gyne,  53. 

Halifax,  Viscount,  98. 

Heber,  Bishop.  49, 

Henzada,  112,  189. 

High  School,  Rangoon,  Govern- 
ment, 9. 

Hildebrand,  Major,  191. 

Hlut-daw  {High  Court),  265. 

Hman-nan-daw  {glass  palace). 
165,  232.  257. 

Holy  Trinity  Church,  Rangoon 
(Pro-cathedral),  cf.  "  Town 
Church,"  85,  107,  III. 

Hpdn-daw-gyi  {High  Hpongyi), 
174. 

Hpongyi  {Buddhist  monk),  16,  73, 
118.  155.  175,  283. 

Hsin-byu-ma-shin,  the  Queen 
Mother,  219. 

Hpoung-wun,  223. 

Hti  {umbrella),  281. 

Irrawaddy  Flotilla  Company 
(I.  F.  C),  "  The  Flotilla,"  112, 
115. 


304 


INDEX 


Jacob,  Rev.  Edgar    (Bishop  of      Marks,  Rev.  Philip,  91,  178,  241. 


St.  Albans),  201. 
Jardine,  Sir  John,  26. 
Johnson,  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.,  Bishop 

of  Calcutta,  214. 
Judson,  Adoniram,   3,  42,   154, 
.    168,  184. 

Kalagouk,  46. 

Kala-wun     {Foreign     Minister), 

157.   163,   177,   178,  200,  204, 

252. 
Katha  Prince,  258. 
Kay,  Dr.  W.,  76,  95,  103. 
Kinwun  Mingyi,  204,  226,  299. 
Kipling,  53. 
Ko-daw  {prince),  196. 
Koh-i-noor,  183. 
Kristna,    Rev,    John    (Kristna- 

sawmy,)  85,  120. 
Kun  Saing,  Hon.  H.,  245. 
Kyaikkami,  50. 
Kyaw  Doon,  Moung,  114. 

ITa  Martini^re  College,  Cal- 
cutta, 76. 

Lambeth  Degree,  presented  to 
Dr.  Marks,  4. 

Lapet-yi-daw-tha  {sons  of  tea), 
197,  266. 

Lawrence,  Sir  John,  182  et  sqq., 
288. 

Lecompte,  Rev.  Father,  15. 

Linban  Prince,  298. 

Loungshe  Princess,  219. 

Lowder,  Father,  2. 

Lyons,  Thomas,  239, 

Mahon,  Rev,  B.,  235,  242. 
Mandalay,  Foundation  of,  147. 
—  First  visit  of  Dr.  Marks  to, 

153- 
Manook,  Mr.  J.  S.,  157,  252. 


Marks'  Memorial  Fund,  31,  33, 

239- 
Martine,  General,  founder  of  La 

Martinifere  School,  77. 
Mason,  Dr.,  205. 
Maulmein,  39,  52,  84,  112. 
McMahon,  Major,  256,  265,  270, 

279. 
M^-thila-yin  {nun),  177. 
Milman,  Dr.  Robert,  Bishop  of 
Calcutta,  24,  159,  169,  182, 
211,    214,    231,    258,    260, 
262,  267,  271,  287. 

—  Visitation  of  Burma,  1 1 1 . 

—  consecrates  "  Town  Church," 

III. 

—  consecrates    Christ    Church, 

Mandalay,  201. 
Mindon  Min,  4.,  67.  144  et  sqq. 

—  Dr.    Marks'    relations    with, 

14  et  sqq. 

—  attitude       towards       Chris- 

tianity, 16  et  sqq. 
— •  assistance     to    missionaries, 
18. 

—  character,  19,  145. 

—  attitude  to  Buddhism,  20. 
Mine  Done  Prince,  193,  201,  204, 
Minhla,  160. 

Moungan,  55. 

MunicipaHty    of    Rangoon,    3s, 

143. 
Myan-aung,  116,  191. 
Myauk-nan-ma-daw,  284. 

"  Natives,"  119. 

Nat  {spirit),  88. 

Nichols,  Rev,  H.  B.,  84,  91. 

Northbrook,    Lord,    Viceroy   of 

India,  202,  209,  287. 
Nyaung-yan  Prince,  222. 


305 


20 


INDEX 


O'Connor.  Mr.  V.  C.  Scott,  147. 

220. 
Ohn  Ghine,  Mg.,  239,  243. 
Ordination  of  Dr.  Marks,  2,  75. 
Orphanage,  Diocesan,  136,  143, 

233- 

Pagan  Min,  145. 

^ali,  2.76. 

Parabike    {Burmese    date),    157, 

158,  165,  298. 
Payaloung  {future  Buddha),  224. 
Pedley,  Dr.,  238,  246. 
Phayre,  Sir  Arthur  P.,  9,  82,  84, 

90,  98,  124,  289. 
PhiUpps,  Rev.  Sir  John  E.,  100. 
Poungd6,  81. 
Pratt,  Archdeacon  of  Calcutta, 

89.  91. 
Prayer   Book   in    Burmese,    74, 

278. 
Prendergast,  Sir  Harry,  36,  227, 

228. 
Pubhc  affairs,  Dr.  Marks  and,  34. 
Putso  {Burmese  boy's  dress),  69, 

Railway,    Rangoon    to    Man- 

dalay,  230,  275. 
Rawhngs,  Mr.  R.,  100,  102,  112. 
Rehgion,  Teaching  of,  in  school, 

126. 
Reports,  Publication  of,  289. 
Revision    of    Burmese    Prayer 

Book,  278. 
Rhys  Davids,  F.  W.,  275. 
Roberts,  Lord,  235. 
Roman   Catholics,    15,    66,    78, 

177,  289. 


Salisbury,  Lord,  iii,  211. 

Sal  ween,  47,  53. 


Saw  Khd,  246. 

Saya-daw-gyi  {chief  monk),  265. 

Say  a     Mat     Kyoung-tha     {Dr. 

Marks'  pupils),   132. 
S.  Byu    (Hsin   b^'-u   ma   shin  ?), 

297. 
Schoolmaster,  Dr.  Marks  as,  29. 
Scott,  Sir  James  George,  236. 
Shaw,  Mr.,  225,  296,  299. 
Shears,  Rev.  A.,  55,  60,  71. 
Shway  Yoe,  236. 
Shwe  Dagon,  281. 
Shw6  Bwin,  Mg.,  243. 
Shwe  Hman,  Ko,  236,  246, 
Shwe  Koo,  Prince,  193,  304, 
Shweda  Kyoung,  231. 
Siam,  King  of,  273. 
Sladen,  Sir  Edward  B.,  90,  157, 

163,   192,  200,  229,  231,  252, 

276,  278. 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of 

the  Gospel  (S,  P.  G.).  2,  39, 

123,  212,  238. 
S.  P.  C.  K.,  214,  27B. 
Spearman,  Lieut.  H.  R.,  112. 
St.    Andrew's    School,    Thayet- 

myo,  119. 
St.  Augustine's  College,  Canter- 
bury, 93,  157,  208. 
St.  Barbe,  Mr.,  224. 
St.  John's  College,  Rangoon,  4, 

33,  35,  112,  117,  124.  189,  234, 

243- 
St.  Luke's  School,  Toungoo,  85. 
St.    Mary's    School    for    Girls, 

Rangoon,  134. 
St.  Mary's,  Oxford,  93. 
St.    Matthew's    Church,    Maul- 

mein,  70. 
St.  Peter's  School,  Henzada,  1 1 5. 
Strachan,    Right    Rev.    Bishop, 

35,  95.  141,  234. 


306 


Index 


^trover.  Captain  G.,   200,   290,      Tucker,  Rev.  Prebendary,  238. 


291,  292. 
Supaya  gal6,  220. 
Supaya  gyi,  200,  227. 
Supaya  lat,  219,  223. 
Surpliced  choir  controversy,  109. 

Tait,  Archbishop,  4,  82,  212. 
Talaings,  52. 

Talboys  Wheeler,  J.,  276,  278. 
Tavoy  and  Mergui,  Dr.    Marks 

Chaplain  of,  116,  235,  237. 
Teak,  54. 
Tenasserim,  53. 
Thagara  Prince,  193,  290. 
Than-daw-zin  {herald),  257. 
Thathana-baing     {Superior- Gen- 
eral of  the  Buddhist  monks),  22. 
Thayetmyo,  112,  118,  144,  191. 
Thibaw,    King,   4,    12,    35,    193, 

218  et  sqq.,  295. 
Thonzai  Prince,  156,  251. 
Thooria,  12,  230, 
Thompson,  Sir  Rivers,  115,  213. 
Thug,  Adventure  with  a.  65. 
Tickell,  Colonel,  65. 
Titcomb,     Rt.    Rev.     Jonathan 

Holt,  S2,  116,   141,  143,  215, 

233. 
"  Tom  Brown's  School  Days," 

32,  77. 
Tonzan  {custom),  133. 
Toungoo.  118. 
"  Town  Church,"  107,  109,  no, 

115. 
Tracts,     Distribution    of,     273, 

281,  283. 
Translation  of  Prayer  Book,  74, 
Trew,  Rev.  J.,  170. 
Tsalwi    {Burmese    Order),     173. 

266,  275. 
Tsan  Hla  Oung,  173. 


Tydd,  W.  B.,  236. 

University  of   Rangoon   (pro- 
posed), 26. 
Upper  Burma,  10,  144,   155. 

Vallings,   Rev.  F.  R.,  70,  76, 

91,  no,  269,  277. 
Vicars,  Captain  Hedley,  72. 
Victoria,  Queen,   167,   170,   183, 

207. 
Volunteer    movement,     35,     37, 

235.    . 

"  War  Prince,"  148. 

War,  Burmese,  50,  227. 

Warminster,  100. 

Warren,  Rev.  C,  95,   106,   112, 

118,  124,  180,  212. 
Wilberforce,  Rt.  Rev.  S.,  Bishop 

of  Oxford,  100. 
Williams.    Dr.   C.   B.    (Dr.   W.). 

275,  296. 
Wilson,  Dr.,  Bishop  of  Calcutta, 

78.  107. 
Windley,  Rev.  T.  W.,  212. 
Wood,  Hon.  Charles  (Viscount 

Halifax),  97,  99. 
Woodrow,     Mr.,     Director     of 

Public  Instruction,  77. 
Wootton,  H.  W.,  211. 
Wylie,  Mrs.  Macleod,  153. 

Yaw-atwin-wun  {Minister  of  the 

Interior),  204,  279. 
Y6-nan-kyoung,  161. 
Yittana    thSn    ba  {three  jewels), 

176. 
Yowng  {boy's  top-knot),  69, 


Zalun,  117,  189. 
Zayat  {rest-house),  55. 


307 


PRINTED  AT 

THE  CHAPEL   RIVER   PREsS, 

KINGSTON,   SURREY. 


<^057^aflaqa 


■^  < 


".^r 


